Trust Me - Trust You
by AaCcEeYy
Summary: It's six years in the future after Sasuke returned to Konoha, and all he wants is for the village to trust him again. But, can he trust in others, namely Sakura, who just might have moved on? SasuSaku, some NaruHina.
1. Drunk - Detached

**A/N: **Hi, everybody! This story is set in a time in which after Sasuke killed Itachi, he returned to Konoha, instead of forming Hebi (no war or anything, even though it's pretty awesome). It's about six years in the future, and Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, etc. are all around twenty-three to twenty-four years old.

Constructive criticism is welcome. Enjoy! :)

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**"If I say who I know it just goes to show**

**You need me less than I need you.**

**Take it from me, w****e don't give sympathy.**

**You can trust me, trust nobody.**

**But I said you and me**

**We don't have honesty.**

**The things we don't want to speak.**

**I'll try to get out, but I never will.**

**Traffic is perfectly still."**

**- "Trust Me" The Fray**

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**Chapter 1: ****_Drunk - Detached_**

Sakura sat at the bar in the crowded pub, gazing tiredly at the scene around her. It was one of those rare nights— a free night, the night before your day off. A night in which there were no missions to be assigned, no work to be done, no training to be accomplished. You were free to do whatever you want, as late as you wanted to. It was a night she, and most others, thrived on.

Don't get them wrong, it wasn't that they hardly ever got any time off. They all got their occasional free leisure days, but to have all of their breaks scheduled at the same time? Now _that_ was a rare time indeed.

Since they had all come of legal drinking age ("they" being the Rookie 9 and Team Gai), they had taken to the habit of meeting at this pub on these rare nights, and it had become almost automatic that whenever the occasion came, they would all be here.

Dragging a sore hand through her oddly pink hair, she sighed. It had been an exceptionally long day at the hospital, and while she loved what she did, it was—quite frankly—a relief to have the night off.

_Funny,_ she thought, rubbing her aching hands together, _To spend the entire day healing patients just to have sore hands myself._

She was slightly upset at herself for being so drained. These nights only came around every so often, and she felt almost guilty for wasting it. Allowing herself to perk up, she looked around the dimly-lit room, smiling slightly to herself as she watched her long-time companions bustle around. An energetic-as-ever Naruto grinned widely at a blushing Hinata as he begged her to dance with him; a smug Ino and Ten Ten high-fived triumphantly as they destroyed a disgruntled Kiba and Shikamaru at pool; a blank-looking Sai stared at the game, still trying to figure out human relations; two men, Shino and Neji, were engaged in a casual conversation about weapons towards the back; a ravenous Chouji was scarfing his face with the low-quality bar food; and an uncharacteristically quiet Rock Lee sipped apple juice at the table, too afraid to go near any alcohol of any kind.

She looked towards the far corner of the room, but immediately wished she hadn't. The beginnings of the good mood she had been building up vanished as she gazed on at the man silently self-stationed in the back.

He sat on a secluded bar stool, present, but looking as though he wished he wasn't. In fact, if Naruto hadn't dragged and forced him to come, he probably wouldn't be. He had his head leaned back against the wall, onyx eyes boredly scanning the area, but taking no particular interest. His hand loosely held a bottle—most likely a beer—and was brought up to his mouth every so often for a long sip. He let off a rather... disconnected aura. One that warded off any possible minglers without a glitch.

_Should I go over and talk to him? _Sakura asked her inner-self nervously.

_Pssh, are you kidding me!? Does he look like he wants to be bothered?_

_Well, I know, I just thought maybe—_

"Hey," a woman's voice said, interrupting her thoughts.

Sakura whipped her head back to see a smiling Ino, her pool game apparently over. Trying to shake her mind of any depressing thoughts, she attempted a smile back, but knew she failed as she watched her friend's expression.

Ino set her hands on her hips and huffed, obviously annoyed. "What's the matter with you? It's not like you to be so mopey-dopey on a free night. And it's only two in the morning!" She turned her gaze to where Sakura was previously looking and mouthed a silent 'Oh.'

Looking at Sakura's slightly-pained expression, she leaned in closer. "You know, really, Sakura," she said in a low voice. "It's been _six years_. He may have come back to the village, but that doesn't mean he's gonna be Mister 'happy happy fun fun.' You've gotta get over him." She stepped back and spread her arms out wide. "I mean I did, and look at me now! I'm basically the shit."

Sakura finally let out a much-needed laugh. "Thanks," she grinned. "Ino-pig."

"Anytime, Forehead," the blonde smirked back. "Now come on, you haven't even had anything to drink yet!"

"Oh, no, I'm not really in the mood—" she protested, trying to wave off the pushy girl.

Her teal eyes rolled her eyes in response. "Riiiight. Come on, it's on me!"

Knowing from years of past experience that protesting any further wouldn't really get her anywhere, she submitted, accepting the cold beer her friend thrust into her hands. Uncapping the bottle, she took a deep swig and swallowed, the chilled liquid slightly burning her throat.

"Feels good, right? Oh what am I saying, damn right it does!" Ino snapped, patting Sakura on the back. "I'm gonna go play another round of pool. Wanna join? You could probably help pick up the slack on the boy's side," she smirked.

Sakura shook her head. "No, go ahead. I'm fine."

"You sure?"

She nodded.

"Alright," Ino shrugged. "I'll see you later!" she called over her shoulder as she began to walk back.

Sakura sat in the stool, staring at the glass bottle in her hands. Ino had been right, it _did_ feel good. A little _too_ good, actually.

_When was the last time I had a beer?_ she marveled, turning the drink over in her hands.

With all of her time consumed by her medic work and missions, there hadn't been much time for drinking, and it wasn't long before she had downed the entire drink and ordered another.

And another.

And another.

And maybe two more after that.

Finishing off her current round, she slammed a fist on the counter, rattling the dishes and cups. She groggily stared at the bartender. "'Nuther one pleeaase meester?"

He let out a deep chuckle. "I think you've had quite enough there, miss."

She whined in protest, about to have another go at the counter when something out of the corner of her eyes caught her attention. Ino was still playing that game of pool, and it _did _look like an awful lot of fun. She stumbled off the stool, about to take her up on her previous offer.

"You alright there, miss?" the bartender asked, conflicted as to whether or not he should help her.

"I goddit, I goddit..." she mumbled, waving her hand at him.

Finally making her way over to the table, she leaned heavily on Shikamaru and smiled widely. "Hey guyrrs! S'alrighh if I haff a turrnn?" she slurred.

"Shit! Sakura's hammered!" Kiba exclaimed, trying to bite back a laugh. The others looked at her in shock.

Sakura made a pouty face at him. "Am not! Only had 'bout two... Or wuz it f-fourr..."

Suddenly lurching over, she heaved, throwing up all over the floor. People groaned, stepping away in disgust. Someone cheered.

Recovering from her initial shock, Ten Ten chuckled as she walked over towards her. "Alright, Sakura, I think you've had enough alcohol for three nights. We better get you home."

"No!" Sakura shouted, trying to back away. People began to look over. "I wanna pla—!"

She let out a small shriek as she tripped over a chair and began to pitch backwards. Wincing as she prepared herself for the heard contact she was about to make with the floor, she was quite surprised to find herself land on something not hard at all. Actually it was kind of... Warm.

"I got her," a deep voice said. The others stood back in an even larger surprised silence than before.

"Bastard?" Sakura thought she heard Naruto say, but it was warped and far-away sounding, so she couldn't be sure.

She looked up at the person who had caught her. Despite her vision being a little fuzzy and her judgement a little clouded, with his dark as night hair and eyes to match, she was unmistakably sure who was holding her.

"S-Sasuke?" she mumbled in confusion. But that was the last thing she said before everything went black.

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**A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Please review!**

**Really. Reviews raise the self-esteem, ya know.**


	2. Inert - Irked

**Chapter 2: _Inert - Irked_**_**  
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Sasuke walked out of the bar, Sakura held loosely in his arms, her head lolling back and forth.

He looked down at her pale face, adjusting her so that her head was tucked safely against his chest, and cringed inwardly at the drool she was spreading on the gray flak vest he now wore as a part of his everyday uniform. The disgusting scent of vomit wafted up to his nose, and he was lucky she had kept her hair short after all these years. But she was light. Carrying her back wouldn't be too hard.

_Tch. Must've knocked herself out._

He frowned slightly at himself. He should have been paying more attention. He knew she had seemed a little off, but when he had seen Ino buy her a drink, he hadn't though much of it. He hadn't exactly expected her to end up in this state. A drunk Sakura seemed close to _impossible. _Almost unheard of actually. In fact, Sakura was always the one berating Naruto and him for their supposedly horrid drinking habits.

_"That beer'll go straight to your stomach, guys. I'm telling you, it's really not healthy!" _she would warn.

He smirked as he imagined her waking up, realizing what had happened, and then beating her head against the wall out of pure humiliation.

As he rounded the corner in the direction he knew to be Sakura's apartment, he suddenly realized how suspicious he looked. He, an ex-criminal of the leaf, carrying a clearly out-cold Sakura.

He sighed inwardly as some of the street passers gave him distrustful looks. It was long ago that he had resigned himself to the fact that there would always be some distrust geared towards him. There would always be those few wary looks, the fearful glances, and the protective mothers that steered their children the opposite side as he walked past. Some of the villagers, the ones that knew him more than "the last Uchiha boy" or "that Sound criminal guy," gave him a polite nod as he strode by, which he had no problem returning.

He had proven himself to the Hokage and the Council, both of which had approved him to become a member of the ANBU, but the same couldn't be said for the rest of the village.

He thought back sourly to the pub, when he had offered to take Sakura home. He knew he had changed. They knew he had changed. But the little things they did still left him with a slight feeling of frustration. For instance, their surprised glances had bothered him. What? Was it so surprising that he do a small favor? Everybody else seemed to be enjoying themselves, so why have somebody else unnecessarily cut their free night short?

He couldn't deny the fact that he wasn't involved in some of the "fun" activities they did. Well, he did pretty much just sit in the corner and sulk. But, despite how bored he seemed and the annoyance he showed when Naruto would yell at him to meet at the bar, he actually did somewhat enjoy being there. There was something about just watching everybody bustle around and socialize that he found almost… calming.

Still, Naruto's long lecture about Sakura's safety definitely irked him.

_Alright, bastard, you better bring her _straight_ back to her apartment. Ya hear me? No weird detours or nothing. If I find out something went wrong, that so much as one of her pink hairs is out of place, it'll be your white ass on the line. I swear—_

It hadn't been until that Hyuga girl had laid a small, pale hand on his shoulder that he had backed off. The hyperactive blonde had stepped back and given him a small grin.

_Careful there, bastard._

Sasuke had given him a slight eye roll and left with nothing but a short "Hn." What? Did they think he was gonna fondle her in the dead of night? He knew it wasn't necessarily that Naruto didn't trust him with Sakura's safety, rather a way for him to boss him around. He knew he was probably overreacting, but that didn't stop it from bothering him.

He thought back to that Hinata girl. It was initially quite surprising to see that there was something between the two. Well, he supposed he should say it was surprising to see that Naruto _returned_ the feelings. Even as beginner-genin, anyone with eyes could see the shy girl with the indigo hair had a ginormous crush on the blonde. Naruto, however, notorious for being glaringly clueless, had taken about three years after Sasuke's return to catch on.

His thoughts were interrupted as he realized he had arrived at their destination. Leaping up the flight of stairs, he lifted up a pot of violets and retrieved the set of keys he knew to be there. With some difficulty, he managed to unlock the door, Sakura still in his arms, and walked in.

He took his time. Despite their long time teammate-ship, it wasn't often that he was invited into her apartment. The majority of the housing had a green and cream theme, with dark wood furniture and a potted plant on top of almost every surface, leaving a distinct floral scent throughout every room.

Striding through the hallway that led to her bedroom, he reached for the door.

The room was surprisingly simplistic. A bed covered with a dark pink comforter was placed next to a window, a shelf stacked with medical books and romance novels on its side. A wardrobe stood on the opposite end of the room, along with a small closet. Placed on one of the white walls was a large mirror, its reflection making the room seem bigger than it was. Despite some dirty clothes and a few empty water bottles, the room was unsurprisingly tidy.

Setting the unconscious girl on her bed, he covered her with the magenta duvet and rolled up the sleeves of his black shirt.

"Mmmmggaawrrrehh..." she moaned, starting to stir. He froze, not wanting to wake her up, but she turned over and continued sleeping without a problem.

With a quiet sigh of relief, he moved back towards her shelf and browsed idly, picking out a book.

_"The Autumn Romance: an Adventure of Passion and Longing," _he read aloud in a low voice, making a face at the cover of a muscular, bare-chested man holding a skimpily-clad redhead.

_Sakura reads this crap? _he thought, shuddering as he hastily put the book back where it belonged.

His eyes railed further up the shelf and landed on a couple dusty photographs. A few pictures of her and her parents, a couple silly photos of her, Ino, Ten Ten, and Hinata, and a photo of her medic training with Tsunade. Apart from all the others, however, was Team Seven's old genin photo. Picking it up, he noticed there was an absence of dust on the plastic. Something tugged in the back of his chest, and he felt the sudden urge to put the frame back down and wipe his hands.

He didn't like to think about his leaving had caused. How it affected the village. How it affected his friends. How it affected Naruto. Sakura.

A quiet moan came from Sakura's bed, and he whipped his head back to see her stirring, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

She looked up blearily, rubbing her head and groaning.

"Whaa happened?" she mumbled. Looking up at where Sasuke stood, she blinked in confusion.

"Sasuke? What're you doing here?"

"Just go to sleep," he said shortly. "It's a long story."

It really wasn't. There wasn't anything particularly long about saying she got drunk out of her mind on a free night, but he wasn't about to explain it to her now.

She looked as though she wanted to protest, but then decided against it, apparently too tired to push it forwards.

Flopping her face into her pillow, she managed to garble out, "Arrighty den. Gudniighh."

He gave her an odd look, but stayed there, waiting until she was completely asleep before turning out the lights and walking out the door.

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**Hope you enjoyed! Please review! :)**


	3. Clumsy - Casual

**Chapter 3: _Clumsy - Casual_****_  
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_Thanks for reviewing!_

_Silverdawn573; itachi13080; David; Matthew Uchiha;_

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Sakura woke up slowly, her whole body feeling disgustingly groggy. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she rolled over, adjusting her sheets to a more comfortable position. Huge waves of pain bashed against her head, making it seem like the room itself was shaking. She moaned, shielding her eyes away from the sunlight pouring in through her window.

_What time is it?_ she thought, glancing at the clock before stuffing her head under her pillow.

One o' clock in the afternoon.

With a gasp, she shot up with a start.

"One o'clock?! Work!" she yelled out loud. "Oh my God, I'm late for work!"

Fumbling out of her blankets, she attempted to stand up, only to get tangled in the comforter and pathetically face-plant on the floor.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." she mumbled, mouth against the hardwood.

She dragged herself back up to her feet, with little hurt but her pride, and proceeded to rush around the room to gather up her work clothes. Wincing at the headache pounding against her skull, she growled in frustration as she realized she couldn't find her shirt.

"Where _is _it?" she yelled, kicking over a basket, harshly stubbing her toe. "Ouch!" she yelped, hands moving to clutch at her injured foot. She hobbled over to the door.

"The kitchen. It's gotta be in the kitchen."

Swinging the door open, she limped as fast as she could into the hallway, only to smash her face into a large body.

Trying to avoid putting weight on her wounded toe, she hopped on her opposite leg while holding her nose in her hands.

"My nose— ACK!" she squealed, falling flat on her butt.

"You're awake," said a flat voice as he shifted the weight on his legs.

"S-sasuke-kun!? What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, half-surprised, half-furious.

Okay, well, mostly surprised.

"You're looking great today," he replied monotonously, acknowledging her probably horrendous-looking appearance.

She smacked him in the arm, her face hot. "No thanks to _you,_" she bit back. "And you didn't answer my question. What the _hell_ are you doing here?"

She stared at him expectantly, arms crossed. After a few impatient seconds, she let out a huff and started to brush past him. "No, you know what? Forget it. I have to get ready for work."

Twisting around, he swiftly grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"Ow!" she hissed, yanking back her arm. "What was that for?"

"You don't have work today."

She blinked. "Wait, what?" It was then that she realized she was currently _in_ her work clothes. Yup. Slightly-cropped dark red shirt, stomach and thigh nettings, black skirt and all.

"You don't have work today," he repeated. He sighed at her confusion. "Tch. Your day off?"

"My day off..." she muttered under her breath. "Oh yeah! We were all at the pub... last night..." she said, trailing off. "Wait, how did I get back here? And why are _you_ here?" she asked, staring pointedly at the dark-haired man.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed. After a few seconds of careful silence, he turned around and walked back down the hallway.

"You're gonna wanna sit down before you hear it."

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"WHAT!?" Sakura yelled, her hands plastered to the sides of her face in shock. "No, no, no, no, _no_. That did _not_ happen."

Sasuke shrugged. "Whatever you wanna believe."

Laying her head down on the table, she groaned. "Why—is—this—hap—pen—ing—to—me!?" she complained, each syllable accompanied by a face bang against the counter.

He watched her in silence, suppressing a smirk at her rather pathetic state. She was reacting almost exactly the way he thought she would.

Seeming to have calmed down a bit, she rose her head back from its position of shame. A large red mark was forming on her forehead, complimenting her already swollen nose.

"I...I didn't do anything _too _embarrassing did I?" she asked nervously, wringing her hands in her lap.

"No," he replied shortly. "Except you stripped naked and slapped Hyuga Neji in the ass."

"WHAT!? Are you serious—" she broke off, seeing the insuppressible smirk on his face. "You're such a bastard!" she yelled. She raised her hand to give him a well-deserved whack in the head but was sadly disappointed when he caught her fist just in time.

"Relax. You didn't do much except yell," he said, the smile gone from his face. "Oh, and you threw up."

"So that's what's in my hair..." she muttered, wincing in disgust. "Okay, one more question."

He stared at her expectantly, already knowing what question she was about to ask.

"Why exactly are you here?" she asked, avoiding his gaze.

He frowned at her lack of eye contact. "Somebody needed to take you home. It's not like you could have stumbled back on your own," he said, as though it were obvious.

"R-right," she said, offering a smile. _But why you?_ A few seconds of awkward silence passed. "I should probably go shower," she sighed, rising from her seat. Moving to walk out of the room, she called out behind her, "Do you want anything to eat? I think I have some leftovers in the fridge—"

She paused where she stood, looking at the mess of blankets on her couch.

"Did you stay here all night?" she asked, looking at him in shock.

He shrugged. "Don't worry, I'll clean it up."

"No, that's fine, it's just—"

She looked at his face, his eyes set in a sort of 'what about it?' expression, as though challenging her to say that anything was wrong.

"Nothing," she ended. "I guess it's nothing." She stared at the couch. "Feel free to eat whatever."

Still inwardly confused, she walked towards the hallway. Pausing in the doorway, she turned around and looked nervously back at him.

"Oh, and Sasuke?"

"Hn."

She smiled softly. "Thanks."

And for what seemed like the twentieth time since he'd gotten there, he just shrugged.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review!**

**Also I've got a poll on my profile... In case anyone wants to do one of those things.**


	4. No Rest - A Request

**Chapter 4: _No Rest - A Request_**

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_Special thanks for reviewing:_

_Silverdawn573; itachi13080; David; Matthew Uchiha; SorrowoftheHeart_

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Sakura was back at the hospital, yesterday's day off gone too soon. She loved her work—really, she did—but that didn't mean the occasional break wasn't appreciated.

Or relished.

Or depended on for both mental and physical survival in this god-damned hospital.

A medic's work could be pretty brutal. Sometimes sacrifices had to made. Sometimes your all just wasn't enough. Sometimes people just died.

It had been a pretty rough morning at work so far, and Sakura was stressed out beyond belief. The Hokage was out on an important meeting with another village, so Sakura had been put as second-in-command in the 'all things medical' category. Saying it was a busy day was a larger-than-life understatement.

She wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead as she squinted to read the last of the patient files. Quickly skimming the rest of the page, she flopped the pile onto the table.

"Done," she breathed, leaning back into her chair. It was times like these she found it no wonder that her sensei was addicted to sake. She allowed herself a proud smile. "Now, I suppose a quick rest is in order after all that hard work." Resting her head against the wall, she closed her eyes and let out a sigh of relief.

"Sakura-san!" yelled a voice as the door burst open.

"GAH!" Sakura screamed, shocked out of her relaxed position. Trying to fix her disheveled appearance, she looked up at the voice. A brunette-haired woman with her hair pulled into a strict bun stood at the doorway. "Oh, nurse Kaede. What's the matter?"

"Sorry to disrupt you. We've just received a patient in critical condition. It's urgent, they've requested you."

Sakura frowned. "How bad is it? Did you see him?"

The nurse grimaced. "I couldn't see much but… It looked serious," she replied.

"Got it." Quickly getting up from the chair, she followed the nurse to the door. "Lead the way."

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Sweat dripped off Sakura's brow as she worked feverishly, hands aglow with light green healing chakra. Nurse Kaede had been right. This was a serious case.

His entire body was bombarded with cuts and heavy bruising. Blood from the deep gashes in his head had dried and completely caked his hair, making the color almost unrecognizable. The fingers in his left hand were all bent in the opposite direction, each loosely hanging off the knuckle. What little clothing he had left was almost as mangled as the skin underneath, and the dried blood had just about glued it to his figure.

He had arrived with multiple broken bones: a right arm, a shattered left leg, a few cracked and broken ribs (it was a miracle that none of them had punctured a lung), and numerous decimated fingers. His left ankle was fractured. Luckily, the nurses had been able to set the arm and the leg before she arrived.

She thought back to what little background the nurse's had given her.

_We were told it was an attack from enemy ninja while he was carrying out a mission. However, we are still unsure as to what village he and the perpetrators originated from._

She hovered her hands over his lacerated back, watching in deep concentration as the blood clotting process began to speed up. Stopping the bleeding was the most crucial issue at hand; she didn't want to drain herself by completley healing his back while his legs were left to bleed out.

_Even for an enemy attack, the injuries seem unusually extensive, don't they?_

She couldn't agree more. Injuries this severe seemed too... personal for just a village enemy attack. It seemed like the person _enjoyed_ it. _Relished_ rendering his body almost unrecognizable.

For hours she worked, almost in a trance, constantly pouring chakra into the lifeless body. When the majority of the bleeding had stopped, she swept her hands over his rib cage, sealing up the bone damage. After doing the same for the rest of his broken and fractured parts, she straightened. As she rose her head, the room spun, and she had to put a hand on the bed to steady herself.

"Sakura-san? Are you alright?" a nurse asked, worry etched in her voice.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she replied, waving her off. She looked towards the patient. He was stabilized, for now. Some of his cuts weren't fully healed yet, but he was no longer in danger of bleeding out and his bones were set to heal correctly.

She frowned. Just by looking at him she could tell the immense pain he would be in when he woke up. She wanted to do more.

_But I'm drained, _she thought to herself as she stared at her pale hands, wearily frustrated.

"Hook him up to some pain killers and wrap up some of the worse cuts. Add that ointment Tsunade-sama recommended the other day to prevent infection," she instructed the nurses, pointing around the room.

"Yes, of course," one replied, others nodding. "Thank you very much, Sakura-san!"

She smiled tiredly. "No problem."

One of the older nurses walked up to her and laid a wrinkled hand on her shoulder. "I think it would be best if you went home for the day, Sakura. This patient was especially draining, and you need your rest." She smiled, her eyes crinkling with years of kindness. "We'll cover for you."

Frowning slightly, Sakura wanted to protest, but she knew she would be close to worthless with the amount of energy she lad left. "Alright," she consented. "Thank you so much, really."

With a large, grateful smile and a nod, she left the room to go home.

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"SAKURA-CHAAAAAANN!"

Just having left the hospital, Sakura turned around with a sigh, already knowing what to expect.

Naruto, hyperactive and blonde as usual, sprinted down the road to greet her. Hinata, used to this behavior, walked a ways behind him, not even bothering to try to keep up. Blatantly disregarding the typical ANBU uniform, he wore his regular black pants and jacket, a signature thin orange stripe striking through the top. She had supposed the lessening of the orange color had been his attempt at a more "mature" look.

Hinata had been wearing her hair in a high-ponytail, fringe remaining, for a couple years now, deciding one day she didn't want to hide behind a curtain of hair anymore. She dressed simply in black capris, accompanied by the thin lilac jacket she wore underneath her jounin vest.

"Sakura-chan!" he panted as he finally reached her. He bent over, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Quickly recovering, he shot back up and grinned.

"What's up?"

Sakura sighed inwardly. _You would think that his constant sprinting up to people like his pants were on fire would indicate that he actually had something important to say._

"Nothing much, hard day at work." She stood on her tip toes to wave to Hinata. "How about you?"

He shrugged. "Hinata and I are making the usual after-training ramen rounds."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "More like you're running wild all over the place leaving poor Hinata to chase after you."

He looked at her in confusion, gesturing to the space to his left. "What are you talking about? Hinata's right here." He looked down at the empty spot beside him.

"Oops."

Quickly twisting around, he waved at the indigo-haired woman with a sheepish smile.

Sakura laughed. "Go get her, you idiot."

Giving her his trademark grin and thumbs-up, he turned to jog back to Hinata, still walking her way over. Sakura turned in the opposite direction to go back to her apartment.

"Oh, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called.

"Yeah?" she called, looking back over her shoulder. Hinata had finally caught up and was standing next to him.

"The bastard brought you back alright last night, right?"

Sakura froze in her steps, suddenly reminded of the odd interaction with Sasuke the other day.

She gave him a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Oh, good, cause you were so _hammered _last night—"

"N-naruto-kun!" Hinata stammered, afraid he had upset Sakura.

Sakura laughed and put a hand over her face with an embarrassed sigh. "It's fine, I know." She turned around again and began to walk away. "I'll see you guys later!" she called over her shoulder.

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Sasuke stared at the door of the Hokage's office, his fist raised to knock despite knowing it was pointless since she probably already sensed him standing there. Whatever. Manners apply.

A few days had passed since the incident with the pub and Sakura, and the same annoying thing had plagued him. So, ultimately, he decided to come here. Whether that was a good or bad decision, he didn't know, but he was about to.

Tsunade's voice cut through the wood. "Come in, I know you're standing there."

He entered, smoothly walking until he stood in front of the paper-stacked desk.

Bracing himself, he looked straight into the Hokage's eyes.

"I have a request."

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**A/N: ****Oh, the suspense. Hope you liked it! Thanks for the support, and please review! :)**


	5. Confident - Conceding

**Chapter 5: _Confident - Conceding _**

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_Special thanks for reviewing!_

_Silverdawn573; itachi13080; David; Matthew Uchiha; SorrowoftheHeart_

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"I have a request."

Sasuke stood in front of the Hokage's desk, his coal eyes staring cooly at Tsunade's amber pair. The sound of countless papers being ruffled together by the crisp night air filled the room.

"Sheesh, whaddaya want?" she asked, a hand supporting her pig-tailed head as she took a swig of sake. "I just got back from that damned meeting and people are already nagging me." Taking another long drink, she slammed the bottle down on the table, her strength threatening to crack the glass. "Though a surprise visit from the Uchiha Sasuke is quite rare, so I suppose I'll hear you out."

Sasuke worked his mind around, trying to find the right way to phrase it. He sighed inwardly. He knew what he wanted, but physically saying it was another thing. The sound of the crinkling papers became even more apparent as the breeze swept around the stuffy room's strange silence.

The Hokage looked at him expectantly. "Well? If you don't have anything to say here then—"

"Trust."

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Trust?"

He glared at her desk and clenched his fists. This wasn't coming out exactly the way he had wanted it to.

"Trust," he affirmed. "It's been six years. I need a way for the people of this village to better trust me." He thought back to the suspicious glances he had received from the villagers as he carried Sakura home and grimaced. "It is affecting the efficiency of my work and missions," he added quickly after looking at her smirking face.

Folding her hands in front of her face, Tsunade hid her small smile. "And how do you suppose I fix that?"

He stared at her blankly. How did he want her to fix it? He came unprepared, and he felt idiotic standing there with nothing to say. He clenched his hands further, trying to suppress his rising frustration.

"Well, actually, it's funny you've come to me with this problem," she said, beginning to ruffle through a teetering stack of file work.

He stared at her unblinkingly.

"Ah," she said, pulling out a dark green file. "Here is it." She slid it towards him, her gaze inviting him to open it.

Slowly moving forward, he touched his fingers to the edge of the folder and looked up. "What is it?"

She sighed, amber eyes rolling. "Why don't you open it up and see for yourself? I didn't dig up the damn thing just to explain it to you."

Cautiously lifting the corner, he opened it up, revealing a smooth sheet of paper. Three young faces stared back at him.

**_KOHAKU KIN_**

**_UME MANAMI_**

**_INUZUKA TERU_**

Realization dawned on him and he quickly snapped the folder shut.

"I refuse," he declared, glaring at the Hokage's smug face.

"You asked for my help and I gave you it." She leaned back in her chair, obviously enjoying the Uchiha's reaction. "The fact that I happen to need someone to fill this position in the first place is just a bonus on my part."

"This is _not_ what I had in mind–"

"What did you have in mind, then? That I'd just make a Hokage decree that everybody simply _love_ Uchiha Sasuke?" She watched him cooly as he seethed.

"It's simple. Kids trust you equals _parents_ trust you, which equals parents telling all their _friends_ about you until _everybody_ trusts you." She waved her hand in the air for extra effect.

"All you have to do," she said, pushing the folder closer to him, "is become a genin squad leader.

She watched him carefully. Despite his angry outward appearance, she could see him struggling inside as he thought it over.

He gave the dark green folder a menacing death glare, but finally, after a few passing moments, regretfully consented.

"Fine." he grunted.

She clapped her hands together with an 'I knew it' expression. "Great. Oh, and don't think this is gonna be a pass/fail thing like others might do at first. We're just gonna say this particular group automatically passes as your team. You're not getting off that easily."

He sighed and gave her a stiff bow. "Thank you for your time," he muttered through gritted teeth. He turned to go.

She called after him. "Meet at your old training grounds in two days! You'd better take this seriously!"

* * *

Sakura snapped her hands into her black leather gloves, wiggling her fingers and smiling to herself at the absence of any trace of fatigue from yesterday's difficult patient. Good. There would be no hindrances to her training today.

Her hospital shift started a bit later than usual this morning, and she had more than enough time to fit in a good workout.

"Yosh!" she exclaimed softly, cheering herself on while shoving on her well-worm calf-high boots. With spirits high in the sky, she happily walked out the door.

...

It took the pink-haired kunoichi hardly anytime at all to reach the Third Training Ground, the first place Team Seven had ever trained together. Just standing in the grassy area had memories of their genin days flooding back to her.

Tilting her face up to soak in the sun, she closed her eyes and sighed, content to just enjoy the atmosphere for the moment. She stretched her arms out to her sides and twisted her back, smiling at the sickening—yet satisfying—sound of her joints popping.

_Wzzzzz...CLUNK_

The familiar sound of a thrown kunai shocked her out of her revelry, and she swung herself around to see none other than Uchiha Sasuke angrily flinging weapons at an innocent tree. She blushed as memories of his strange help from the other day came rushing into her head.

His onyx eyes glared furiously at the tree. Whipping his arm back, he smoothly pulled two kunai out of his pocket and flung them forward, each impaling bark's crudely-painted target with deadly accuracy.

"Sakura," he said without turning around. "What are you doing here?"

Letting out a small 'eep' at being caught staring, she nervously chuckled and scratched the back of her head. "Oh, I, uh, just thought I'd come to get some training done today." She blinked at him. "Wait, why are you even asking me!? I have as much of a right to come here as you do!"

He sighed and rolled his eyes inwardly. Sakura's double personality would never change.

"What are _you _doing here?" she asked, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

"I'm supposed to be sparring with Naruto," he replied. "He's late."

"As usual. Knowing him, he probably got stuck at Ichiraku's again because he doesn't have the money to pay."

"Tch," Sasuke exhaled, which for him was probably as close to a laugh as you were going to get. He flung another weapon at the tree, his eyes darkened with slight malice.

She studied him. "Looks like you've got anger to burn."

"Hn."

She walked closer. "Gonna tell me why?"

He paused. He probably should just tell her now. Sure, it was embarrassing, and he had his pride, but not telling her would make it seem like he was hiding it, which would only make it worse for him in the long run.

_But then again, it's not like you ever tell her anything in the first place, so this wouldn't be much different. _

Naruto, however, was a different story. _Naruto_ would be the one to tease him if he found out before he was told. And if Naruto was gonna hear it, then Sakura sure as hell was gonna wind up hearing it as well.

He let out another annoyed sigh. "I'll tell you when Naruto gets here." Suddenly the idiotic blonde's tardiness didn't seem so bad.

A slightly surprised expression appeared on Sakura's face at this statement. She hadn't actually been expecting being keyed into the normally closed-off man's life, and it was an unexpected turn. Judging by the look on his face, however, she wasn't exactly sure whether or not it was a _good_ turn.

"OI! BASTAAARRD!" Naruto shouted, leaping down enthusiastically from a tree.

_Shit. _Sasuke said to himself.

"Sorry I'm late, I got caught up at Ichiraku's because I ran outta cash. I coulda sworn I had an extra coupon though!" he scratched his head with annoyance. "Pretty sure I have a million dollar tab there by now."

Sakura, arms crossed, raised her eyes at Sasuke. Looking at her with an expression that said _What can I say? _he shrugged.

"Oh, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, finally noticing her. "Didn't know you were coming."

"Didn't know you guys were coming either," she replied honestly. "I came to train alone."

He shrugged with a grin. "Well, the more the merrier! We can spar with sub-outs."

"Great! But first..." she turned slowly to Sasuke with an evil smirk. "Sasuke has something to tell us, doesn't he?

_Shit._

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**A/N: Thanks for reading everybody. You guys rock, and I appreciate it! Feel free to drop a review! :)**


	6. Talked Into - Teased

**Chapter 6: _Talked Into - Teased_**

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_Special thanks for reviewing! Thanks to all you followers and favorites too :)_

_Silverdawn573; itachi13080; David; Matthew Uchiha; SorrowoftheHeart; XxMissKakashixX;_

* * *

"WHAT!?"

Sasuke sighed and covered his face with his hand as he watched Naruto roll around on the grass, consumed with laughter. Even Sakura, whom he had assumed to be the more mature of the two, was bent over trying to suppress her giggling with her hands.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! You... You gotta be kidding me!" Naruto roared, clutching his sides as tears streamed down his face. "There's no way. Sasuke... With kids!? HAH!"

The dark-haired man rolled his eyes and shot them both a piercing glare.

"O-okay... Okay," Sakura said, waving a hand of surrender. She cleared her throat trying to control herself, but a goofy smile still showed on her face. Finally calmed down, she started. "How the heck did this even happen?"

"I asked her for a more challenging mission, and she gave me one," he replied simply. He might have told them about his new assignment, but he sure as hell wasn't going to tell them the real reason why. He'd never live it down.

Sakura shook her head. "So she decided you'd become a _genin_ _squad leader_? Tsunade-sama must be going senile."

Naruto nodded in agreement, apparently calmed down as well. "But it might not be so bad. Bushy Brows sure likes it."

Sasuke stared at him. "Yeah, he's also got them brainwashed with all that 'Springtime of Youth!' crap. Have you seen their matching green jumpsuits?"

"I thought they were kinda cool," The blonde frowned, crossing his arms.

"Of course you did."

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"Alright, alright," Sakura intervened, interrupting another one of their pointless arguments. She looked at Sasuke. "So when are you meeting them?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

Her eyes widened. "Quicker than I thought. Mind if I come see?"

"Same!" Naruto added. "This'll be _hilarious._"

Sasuke shrugged and sighed with annoyance. "Do whatever you want. Are we gonna spar or not?"

"Yeah, let's get going," Sakura agreed, readjusting her boots. The two of them walked further into the clearing, looking back as they realized their hyperactive orange-clad friend wasn't following them.

"Naruto?" Sakura frowned. "What's wrong?"

The whispered boy was still standing in the same spot, sighing sadly. He dragged a hand over his face and looked at them with depressed eyes. "It's just..." he faked a small sob.

"...Those _poor_ children."

His face immediately snapped back to his usual mischievous grin.

There was nothing Sasuke could do nut roll his eyes and sigh yet again as Sakura and Naruto roared with renewed laughter.

* * *

"Bend your arm back for me would you please?" Sakura instructed, holding the arm of a small girl, her last patient of the day.

The girl looked to be about seven or six, and her brown pigtails swung around her head at every movement she made.

The girl sniffed, rubbing at her eye with her free hand. "I-I fell off the swing at the Academy by accident," she whimpered.

Sakura squinted at the clearly just bruised arm, making little "hm's" and "ah's" every so often. She had learned long ago that in these cases, the process was more important than the final result, and some kids just wanted to feel important.

After a couple more minutes of 'thorough examination,' Sakura had finally reached her diagnosis. "Well, missy, it seems you have quite the bruise there."

"Are you s-sure? I think I broked it." She poked at the large dark blue spot and yelped.

Sakura leaned back in her chair and frowned convincingly. "No, not broken, but you know what," she said, reaching back into a shelf and pulling out a small white bottle, "I think if you take this special cream and rub it on the bruise every night, it'll be gone right away, alright?" She smiled, placing the lotion in the girl's small hands.

The girl opened it up immediately and rubbed it on, her eyes widening. "I can feel it working! And it smells good!" She looked up at Sakura with a toothy smile. "Thank you!"

"No problem," the pink-haired medic smiled, ruffling the pigtailed girl's hair. Taking her hand, she led her outside to where her mother stood. Smiling as usual, she explained the issue to her mother, adding the part about the lotion with a wink. The woman thanked her and turned to go, leaving Sakura able to gather her things for the day.

"Hey," a familiar feminine voice called from behind her. Turning around, she saw none other than Yamanaka Ino leaning against the wall. "Thank God, I've been waiting for you for like _forever. _What was that lotion thing about?"

"It was a free strawberry scented sample from a perfume stand," she smirked.

"Nice," the blonde laughed. "Now get your things and let's go."

Sakura frowned. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know, _out_. I'm bored as _hell_, I don't care what we do."

"No missions? Flower shop shifts?"

"Nada."

"Alright. Be back in a sec, I guess," she replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Great."

In no time at all the two were walking down the hospital's hallways, chatting aimlessly with one another.

"Remember when I used to work at the pharmacy here?" the teal-eyed woman said almost wistfully. "Think I might just pick that up again with the way my schedule's going. We haven't had a mission in forever."

"Same," Sakura nodded. "Team Seven hasn't been requested for anything either, but I've got my medic work. I can only imagine how bored Sasuke and Naruto are."

Ino let out an uncanny snort. "Well, Naruto can't sit still for more than two minutes without falling apart," she said, making Sakura laugh.

"So where are we going?" Sakura asked. "I kinda wanna try that new place down by—"

"Excuse me,"

The two women turned around, surprised to find a young man staring back at them. He was rather battered looking, with quite a few bruises and a few limbs wrapped up. He was wearing a hospital gown.

"Are you... Haruno Sakura?" he asked, gesturing at Sakura with the arm not in a cast.

"Yes, yes I am," she replied, with a small frown. "May I help you with something?"

"Oh, no," he laughed, running a hand through his tousled golden-brown hair. "Sorry, you probable don't recognize me. I'm Osuma Tamotsu, one of your emergency patients from a few days ago." He smiled at her with a pair of shockingly ice-blue eyes. Despite their cold color, the smile was unexpectedly... warm.

"Oh, of course!" she said, putting a hand to her forehead. She could definitely recognize him a bit now, and all of the injuries were the same. "I'm sorry."

"I understand. My injuries were quite... extensive."

She nodded with a small laugh. "Very. So, how are you doing?"

"Good, good," he nodded. "I'm okay to be up and about now, as you can see, and the nurses said I could be released by tomorrow, if I wanted to." He grinned at her. "You did a good job, I don't know how I'll repay you."

The pink-haired medic smiled and blushed slightly. She noticed he had a spatter of brown freckles across his cheeks. "Thank you, but it's nothing, really."

"Well, let me at least buy you lunch tomorrow afternoon," he said, phrasing it as a statement rather than an invitation.

Her blush deepened to almost match the shade of her hair. "You don't have to do that—"

"But I want to." His blue eyes looked intently at her.

"It's really okay—"

Ino cleared her throat, and Sakura felt guilty at forgetting she was even there. "If you would let me speak with my friend for just a moment," she smiled.

"Of course," he gestured.

Yanking her arm and dragging her away around the corner of the hallway, Ino slapped Sakura in the back. "What the _hell _do you think you're doing!?" she hissed.

"Ow!" she yelped, wiping off her face. "What was that for? And you spit on me."

"There is a man right around that corner—a very _hot_ man, might I add—that just asked you out to lunch, and you're fucking turning him down!?"

"I don't want to make him pay for my lunch—"

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU WANT!" the blonde whisper-yelled. "You haven't gone a date in forever, missy, and you are going on this one even if I have to drag you there myself. I mean, did you even look at him? I'd go myself if he didn't ask you."

"But I—"

"NO BUTS!"

"B—"

"Eh!"

"Ino, I—"

"EHH!"

"Fine," she muttered, giving Ino a sour look.

"Oh please, it's just an afternoon lunch anyway, what's the worst that could happen?" she said, waving a hand through the air.

"Wait," Sakura paused as realization dawned on her. "I was supposed to meet Sasuke and Naruto tomorrow afternoon for... a meeting." She decided last second that Sasuke probably didnt want people to know about his new assignment.

"Skip it!" Ino said with a huff, placing her hand on her hips. "You can see those two idiots whenever!"

Sakura frowned. "No. I'll still go to the lunch, I'll just... reschedule it." She began to walk back around the corner, leaving Ino to catch up behind her.

She looked at Tamotsu and smiled. "Sorry about that."

"No problem," he said, returning the grin.

"So, I'd love to have lunch with you tomorrow, but I actually have plans that afternoon. What do you say we make it an early dinner instead?"

"Absolutely, that would be great! I'll meet you outside the hospital tomorrow." His blue eyes crinkled at her. "I really should head back to my room, the nurses will be worrying. Anyway, nice meeting you two. See you tomorrow Sakura."

"Bye!" the two women said in unison.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Sakura turned to glare at her blonde friend. "I hope you're happy with yourself."

Draping an arm across Sakura's shoulder and turning to walk back down the hallway, Ino sighed. "Oh, but not as happy as you'll be, Forehead!"

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked it! :)**


	7. New Guy - New Team

**Chapter 7: ****_New Guy - New Team_**

* * *

"Are you ready for this? I almost couldn't sleep last night I was so excited for this," Naruto chattered, rubbing his hands together giddily. They sat on a log in the clearing of their old training grounds. "Chips?"

Sakura pushed the greasy barbecue snack away. "Come on, Naruto, shouldn't you be a little more sympathetic to Sasuke's case?"

They stared at each other for a moment.

"Oh, who am I kidding? Gimme those chips, this is gonna be good."

"Keep quiet over there." Sasuke called, scratching his head as he looked at the two kids sitting on the grass in front of him. Actually, one had a dog.

Wait a minute. Two kids.

_Two _kids.

Meaning one was missing. Unless that dog was supposed to count.

"Alright," he sighed, rubbing an eye with one hand, "Where's the other one."

A shaggy, auburn-haired boy stood up indignantly. He was adorned in a blue shirt and a navy colored vest, accompanied with black shorts and a wrapped left leg. "It's that stupid Manami! She's late for everything." He crossed his arms with a huff, his rusty-brown eyes glaring. His dog yipped in agreement.

"Oh yeah? And who might you be?" Sasuke groaned inwardly, already knowing this boy in particular would be a hassle.

"Inuzuka Teru!" he announced proudly, his chest jutting out. "And this is Hiyake." He ruffled the little dog's brown and tan fur.

Sasuke's brows raised. "Inuzuka?" he repeated, noticing the purple fang-like spikes on the side of the boy's cheeks. He should have connected it the moment he saw the dog.

"That's right. I think you know my cousin, Kiba!" The boy's face squinted in concentration. "I think he said something about you... Something like... wannabe cool-guy? No, no, hot-headed emo?" He shrugged.

Gritting his teeth and ignoring his yellow and pink-haired comrades' giggling, the Uchiha made a mental-note to blast Kiba in the ass with Chidori the next time he saw him.

Teru, also noticing Naruto and Sakura, walked up to them and jutted out his thumb. "Who're they, anyway? I thought _you_ were our sensei," he said, staring pointedly at Sasuke.

Sakura waved her hands reassuringly. "Oh, no, no. We're just... observing. Right, Naruto?"

"Yup," the blonde grinned, leaning back against the log. "Won't even know we're here."

The brunette ignored this, choosing instead to stare at Sakura. "What's with your hair?" he asked, rudely pulling at a strand. "It's the weirdest color." He shuddered. "Pink. You're like a freak."

Suddenly, Sasuke was there, grabbing the boy's arm in a tight grip. "Let go," he said severely, gritting his teeth. Something about his comments on Sakura's hair just made him snap a little. Or maybe he was just already sick of the boy's attitude.

Sakura stood up quickly, nervously laughing. "Sasuke, it's okay, I really don't care! It's fine!"

He didn't let go. He glared at the mini-Inuzuka, making the boy gulp nervously. Hiyake growled, preparing to pounce on the person who dared offend his master.

"Sasuke," she repeated, speaking in a lower voice. She laid a hand on his shoulder.

Finally, he released the blue-shirted boy, who stumbled away quickly, rubbing his arm tenderly.

"Jeez," he mumbled, "Sorry, I didn't really mean it to be that bad."

The other boy, silent until now, stood up and walked over. He wore a white pair of pants and a white jacket, both seemingly too big on him, and his jacket was unzipped, revealing an emerald green t-shirt underneath. His pale skin was complimented by his spiked-up-in-the-front sandy-blonde hair. "You're in the wrong, Teru," he said calmly.

_Damn it_. Sasuke thought to himself. At this point, he was hoping the boy would be a mute.

"That's no way to treat a woman," the boy continued. He flashed a green-eyed smile in Sakura's direction. "I like the color of your hair, ma'am."

"Ma'am?" Sakura repeated, eyebrows raised. "I'm liking this one." She smacked her two comrades in the arms. "Why can't you two be more polite like him?" She offered a kind smile to the white-clad boy. "So, what's your name?"

"Kohaku Kin," he answered. "Nice to meet you." He politely shook her hand.

"Dude, Naruto muttered. "How the hell are we supposed to complete with _that_?"

Sasuke sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. "Whatever. Where the hell is the other one?"

"I'M HERE!" came a high-pitched yell from behind them. A streak of black and purple skidded to a halt in front of them. It was a girl, quite tiny, even for her age. "S-sorry... Sorry I'm late," she panted, hands on knees. She wore a sleeved black shirt that reached to the middle of arms paired with a dark purple skirt. Her shoes reached the top of her calves, and her long, wavy black hair hung down over her lower back, covering what Sasuke noticed to be a small string sack.

"Yeah, you should be, stupid," Teru grumbled. "We've been waiting for you for _forever_. What were you doing anyway?" Despite his owner's hostility, Hiyake's tail wagged as he looked at the girl, greeting her as a friend.

Violet eyes glared back at him. "I don't have to explain anything to you." She crossed her arms. "_Idiot_." She paused in the fight to give a quick head-scratch to the dog.

The amber-eyed boy fumed. "Ugly."

"Pig-nose."

"Dimwit."

"Moron."

Sakura poked Naruto in the side. "They kinda remind me of how you and Sasuke were," she whispered.

"Yeah," he replied. "But Sasuke's the girl, right?"

"Okay, okay, you guys," Kin said, walking over to diffuse the argument. "Let's not start fighting already. We're supposed to be a team now, remember? Team Four?"

Sasuke watched from a far, deciding just to let this play out for now. _Two hot-heads, a dog, and a makeshift mediator_, he thought.

"Kin!" the girl beamed, her personality changing faster than you could snap. "I'm so glad you're here! Sorry I was late."

"It's alright," he said, smiling easily in reply. "You didn't miss much."

Sasuke wasn't so deft as to miss the look of anger and, more surprisingly, jealousy coming from Teru's face as he glared at his new green-eyed comrade. He smirked. _Maybe there's more to that boy than bad manners and anger after all._

"Okay," he clapped, getting their attention. He looked at the new arrival. "Teru tells me your name is... Manami? Right?"

"That's right!" she grinned cheekily. "I'm Ume Manami! And you must be Sasuke-sensei!"

He blinked. _Sasuke-sensei._ Nothing had ever sounded weirder. Inwardly shaking himself, he nodded. "That's right."

Manami peered behind him, noticing Sakura and Naruto just as Teru had. She squealed, pointing at Sakura. "Is that your _girlfriend_? She's so pretty! Did she come to support you today? That's so romantic!" She paused, looking at Naruto. "But who is _he_? Could he just be a friend of yours? Another supporter? Or is he secretly trying to win the heart of _your_ girlfriend, right under your nose?" She squealed again. "Ohhh! It's just like a shoujo love triangle!"

The three of them stared at her in confusion. She had spoken way too fast for another to even react to what she was saying.

"Um," Sakura started. "I'm not his girlfriend."

"And I've already got a girlfriend!" Naruto piped in.

"Just friendly supporters," Sakura chucked awkwardly.

"Oh," the girl said, looking disappointed. She snapped back up with a mischievous grin. "But it _could _happen, couldn't it? You and Sasuke-sensei? You never kno-ow!" she sang._  
_

Sakura blushed. "Uh, I-I think I know it won't happen."

Sasuke frowned inwardly. He could remember a time when Sakura would be squealing over this too, or blushing _happily. _Now she just looked uncomfortable. Did she give up on him? Not that it mattered.

"How come? Did he reject you? Why isn't sensei saying anything about this?"

He _did _reject her, didn't he? Even if it was a long time ago when he was leaving the village. And since then he hadn't even shown a hint of returning any feelings, it's only natural she'd give up on him now.

"That's enough." Sasuke's words cut through the conversation like a knife. He noticed Sakura's instant relief. "We're done with this. Come over here. We'll discuss your guys'... abilities or whatever you want to do."

The dark-haired girl shrugged. "Alrighty then."

As they walked away, Sakura put her hands to her face and groaned. "How embarrassing."

"Wow." Naruto said, gripping his bag of chips in awe.

"What?"

"That was even better than I expected."

* * *

**A/N: **GAHHH that's was hard. Tell me what you think of the new characters, I thrive on feedback! And thanks for all the support!

Interesting fact: All of the current known Inuzuka members are named after dog body parts while their nin-dogs are named after colors. For example, Kiba means "claw" and Akamaru means "red." So, I named the Inuzuka in this new group Teru, meaning "tail," and his dog Hiyake, meaning "tan." Just in case you wanted to know. The other two I just kinda winged. :)

... So yeah I tried pretty hard on this one. APPRECIATE ME. XD


	8. Livid - Leery

**Chapter 8: ****_Livid - Leery_**

* * *

"Shoot," Sakura said suddenly, looking up from her spot on the log. "What time is it?"

They were watching from farther away now, since Sasuke had moved his team to talk about their skills and abilities, and to prevent further harassment from weird children.

Naruto shrugged. "I dunno. Getting to be late afternoon? Maybe three or four?"

She stood up quickly. "Ah, I'm gonna be late!"

He raised a blonde brow at her. "Late for what? Goin' somewhere?"

Pausing in her rushing about for a moment, she raked a hand through her hair and sighed, "Ino's forcing me on this lunch-date-thing with a former patient I had."

The blonde let out a fake gasp. "Dating your patients? Scandalous!"

She rolled her eyes, smacking him lightly on the head. "_Former _patient. Besides, if I had my way, I would have politely refused. Tell Sasuke I had to go."

"Roger that," he nodded with a grin. "Have fun!"

Jogging off, she waved a hand behind her.

* * *

"So," Sasuke said, hands on hips as he looked at his three new pupils. "Abilities. What do you got?" He pointed at the glowering auburn-haired boy. "Teru, you first."

"Why me?" he grumbled, stepping up anyway. "Okay, well, I..." he scratched his head thoughtfully. "I work as a team with Hiyake, and I've got heightened senses and reflexes and stuff... I'm pretty speedy and good at tai jutsu. We're still working on some special clan techniques, but we've mastered Getsuga." The little dog yipped in affirmation.

Sasuke nodded. He was actually impressed with the boy's current skill, though if he could remember, it wasn't as much as Kiba's progression at his age. "Kin?"

The polite boy moved forward and nodded. "I was overall good at the different ninjutsu practices at the academy. They came to me pretty easily."

Manami chirped in. "That's right! Kin was top of the class for just about everything!" Teru's scowl deepened.

The boy chuckled bashfully. "I wasn't that good. Anyway, I also have an affinity for different weapons. My dad was a weapons forger, so I guess I had a big exposure to them."

Scratching his chin, the Uchiha studied the green-eyed boy carefully. "I think I might know somebody good for weapons training," he said, referring to the Ten Ten girl he had seen so often with Sakura. "Also, I want to check your chakra nature, since ninjutsu seems to come easily to you. Actually, I want to check all of yours."

Manami nodded impatiently. "Okay, okay, is it my turn yet, Sasuke-sensei?"

He flinched inwardly. He'd probably never get used to being called that. He inclined his head, motioning for her to go ahead.

"Yay! Alright..." She pulled a bow and arrow out of the tiny sack he had noticed before. Setting the weapon, she aimed it towards a random tree and stretched the string back. However, instead of releasing it immediately like Sasuke would have thought, she instead closed her eyes, letting her hands glow with chakra as she transferred it to the arrow.

His eyes widened, impressed. She released the string with a snap, letting the arrow soar through the air. It sunk deep into the bark with a satisfying thunk, definitely farther than a regular arrow would have. He noticed her peek at Kin to see if he was impressed.

"Whoa, nice!" the sandy-haired boy smiled.

Teru shrugged. "Meh."

"Kyūjutsu," he said, nodding with admiration. It was a bow technique, hardly seen in the ninja world nowadays. "That's not something you see very often."

The tiny girl beamed, deciding to ignore her snotty teammate. "Thanks! I've been working on that chakra thing forever!"

Transferring chakra to weapons was something pretty advanced. It definitely wasn't something he thought a genin fresh out of the academy would be able to do. "You must have amazing chakra control. Wait here a second." He turned to where Naruto and Sakura were sitting. "Oi! Sakura!" He narrowed his eyes as he realized she wasn't there.

He raised his hand to get Naruto's attention. "Naruto!" he called. "Where's Sakura?"

The blonde jogged over. "She said she had to go meet some guy for a lunch date or something. Why?"

The dark-haired man froze. "What?"

"Some old patient of hers invited her to lunch." The orange-clad ninja frowned. "You okay?"

"Who," he said, clenching his fists.

"What?"

"_Who_," he repeated angrily. "Who is she going to lunch with?"

"Didn't you hear me? Some old patient of hers! I don't know the guy!"

Letting out a frustrated sigh, the Uchiha turned around abruptly, stalking back to his team. Why was he so angry? Why was this bothering him so much? Was Sakura in trouble? His team looked at him with confused expressions.

"Oi!" Naruto said, catching up to him. "What's up with you?"

"Guess what," he said, ignoring his friend. He clapped his hands to get his team's attention. "Team Four's first mission assignment, right now."

"I thought only the Hokage could assign missions," Kin said, scratching his sandy haired with a perplexed expression.

"This is a special case."

"Yes!" Teru shouted, jumping up with excitement. "This is gonna be awesome! What are we doing? Huh? Huh? Fighting some bad guys?"

Manami grinned with excitement, also jumping up. "Yeah, are we gonna travel to another village? I bet we're the only team with a mission already!" For once, it seemed the two teammates were in agreement.

"Nope, but even better."

* * *

"You know, when you said this mission was gonna be 'even better' than our suggestions, I had pictured something a little different," Teru grumbled, crouched behind a bush.

"Oh, be quiet," Manami scolded in a whisper. "I think it's romantic." She smiled cheekily and elbowed Sasuke in the ribs. "Right, sensei? I knew you liked her."

Naruto, who had tagged along out of pure curiosity, chuckled in agreement. "I think you're right! Wow, I can't believe I never noticed it before," he said, sighing with happiness. "I mean, the way you always lovingly look after her when she walks by you. The way you whisper her name in times of stress. The way you hug and kiss the picture you have of her before you go to sleep every night!"

Manami squealed. "Really!?"

Sasuke swung his arm around, giving his idiotic blonde friend a well deserved whack in the head. "I've never done any of those things."

"Yeah, yeah," the blonde conceded. "I was just kidding, jeez." Manami looked a little disappointed.

"Besides, it's not like that. We don't know who this guy is. He could be dangerous."

"_Right_, of course," Naruto sarcastically agreed, sharing a secret look with the dark haired girl. "That's why we're here." He innocently looked away when he noticed the Uchiha's smoldering glare.

In case you were wondering, "here" meant by the village main streets. On a hill. Behind a bush. Spying on Sakura's lunch date. It hadn't taken them long to find her; her pink hair usually stuck out a lot. She was seated at an outside table, and she had changed out of her usual work attire into more neat and casual clothing.

"Ah, I think she's looking over here!" Kin said, ducking down.

* * *

"Something wrong?" Tamotsu asked, his icy blue eyes frowning in concern. He was out of his hospital clothes and into a simple pair of black pants and a blue shirt, probably lent from the Hokage, since he wouldn't have any clothes here.

"Ah! Oh, it's nothing, I just thought I saw something." She looked up at the bushes across the street. "Must've been a cat. Sorry, what were you saying again?"

"We were talking about my living arrangements here."

"Oh, right! Right!" she nodded. She was actually enjoying herself a lot more than she thought she would be. Tamotsu was always polite and mannerly, which was quite the breath of fresh air compared to her usual company. "You said the Hokage said you were able to stay for however long you felt needed before you return to your village."

"Yes, and I'm eternally grateful." He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "But between you and me, well, I informed the Hokage of this, but... I don't remember anything before I came here. I must have gotten slight amnesia from my injuries, so I don't even know what village I'm from. They couldn't find any clues or evidence on my body either."

"What?" Sakura gasped. "Why didn't you tell the medical staff? This could be extremely important, you might have damage to your brain or—"

He waved her off. "I spoke with the Hokage about it, and she examined me. She said there seemed to be nothing wrong, and the only thing to do is wait. Also I didn't really want to spend any more time than needed in that hospital."

Sakura laughed, relieved that it wasn't a large problem. "That's good then, I guess. And I suppose it can get pretty boring in that place."

* * *

"Well?" Naruto asked, nudging his friend. "Whaddaya think? the guy looks fine and safe to me."

Sasuke ignored him, continuing to stare at their pink-haired comrade. His eye twitched. She was _laughing_.

"She seems to be having fun down there," the whiskered man poked again.

"Shut up."

"Why? Isn't it time we go now? I think you're overreact—"

"SHUT _UP_." The dark-haired man shoved the blonde off in anger, consequently pushing him through the shrub and down the hill.

"Ah, shit."

* * *

"Yeah, but you know, I do love my work and—" Sakura cut herself off, noticing more weird motion in the bushes above. Her mouth gaped open as she saw Naruto tumble down the hill. One of the kids from Sasuke's team popped out to help him.

"Hm?" Tamotsu said, looking behind him to see what she was looking at. "Are those your friends?"

She sighed. "I guess you could say that." She smiled sweetly. "One moment please."

She stomped across the street angrily, picking up Naruto by the collar. There were flames of rage in her eyes as he screamed at him. "What the _hell_ are you doing here!?"

"H-hey, Sakura! Fancy meeting you here?" She dropped him back on the ground in disgust.

Looking at the floppy-haired boy quivering in front of her, she decided to change tactics. A little good cop, bad cop. Bending down in front of him, she smiled happily and spoke in a voice as sweet as syrup. "Sorry 'bout that," she chuckled. "Could I ask you what you're doing here?"

"U-umm," the boy stuttered. "I..." She followed his glance to the bushes on the hill in front of them and patted his head.

Stomping up the hill, she shoved the foliage away and looked down at two sheepish kids and a nonchalant Sasuke crouching on the ground.

"Hey," he said simply.

"Don't you '_hey_' me! What the hell are you doing here!?" Her eyes widened and she stepped back. "Are you _spying_ on me?"

"Well, I'll be going!" Naruto called, turning to run away.

"WAIT," she yelled, the fires of hell dancing around her. She waited until Naruto trudged up to where they were and looked at them expectantly.

"I want an explanation. _NOW_."

The three genin slowly edged away, not wanting to be collateral damage.

"Well, you see," Naruto stammered. "W-we were watching you... To find out what to get you as a birthday present! Right Sasuke?"

The dark-haired boy nodded earnestly. Uchiha or not, Sakura's punches _hurt_.

"What do you think, snow globe, right?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely."

Sakura smiled. "Aww! That's so sweet! You're totally forgiven! Except for the fact that my birthday was THREE FRICKIN' MONTHS AGO." She whacked them both in the heads and panted with rage.

The two gulped, wincing and rubbing their identical head lumps.

"Are you gonna tell me or am I gonna have to beat it out of you?" she growled, clenching her fists.

"Is there another option?" Naruto asked innocently.

And with that, she just about beat them to death.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! This one was actually pretty fun to write. :)**

**Please review, constructive criticism welcome.**


	9. Indignant - Inattentive

**Chapter 9: _Indignant - Inattentive_**

* * *

She couldn't believe it.

The _nerve_ of them yesterday!

"Sakura."

How _dare_ they? Invading her privacy like that. _Spying_ on her? Absolutely unbelievable.

"Sakura."

She was her own person! They had no right to meddle in her own affairs.

"_Sakura!_" Tsunade said sharply, smacking the table they were working at.

Sakura's head shot up, an apologetic look on her face. "Oh, I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama. I guess I'm feeling a little... distracted right now."

"I can tell," she replied, gesturing towards the stack of paperwork her assistant had so viciously attacked with stamps. Sakura grimaced at the mess. "What's on your mind?"

Sakura sighed, raking her hand through her bubblegum-pink hair. She set aside her ink and stamp. "Well, yesterday I went to lunch with this guy, one of my old patients."

"_Really_," Tsunade said, leaning forwards with interest. Her amber eyes twinkled. "What was he like?"

Sakura chuckled. Sometimes she forgot her boss was actually a woman. "He was nice. Very polite. And he invited me out again to dinner, actually. But that's not what's bothering me."

Holding up a hand to silence her for a moment, the Hokage looked at her seriously. "Was he handsome?"

With a burst of laughter, the green-eyed kunoichi blushed a little. "Yes, he was very handsome."

"So what's the problem?"

"The problem wasn't the guy," she said, leaning back in her chair. "The problem was the group of people _spying_ on me during this meeting with said guy."

"Spying?" the pigtailed woman repeated with a frown. "What do you mean?"

"I mean Naruto, Sasuke, and his little genin group spying on me through the bushes. Can you believe that? Obnoxious."

A twinkle returned to Tsunade's eyes. _The Uchiha too, eh?_ she thought to herself with a smirk.

"Do they not trust that I can handle these things on my own?" Her words reminded Tsunade of a certain dark-haired man's request from a few days ago.

"Ah, well, I'm sure they just wanted to make sure you were okay," she replied, nodding reassuredly.

"Well they shouldn't have to!" the pinkette replied angrily. "Besides, Sasuke should have been off training with his team anyway." She huffed and crossed her arms. "Which begs the question: why, out of all the people in Konoha, would you choose _that_ guy to be a genin squad leader? If he wanted a more difficult mission, couldnt you just give him another S-class?"

"More difficult mission?" she repeated with a frown. "What are you talking about?"

Sakura returned the frown. "That's what he said. He told us he was appointed a genin leader because he needed a more challenging mission."

The Hokage tapped her chin with amusement. "Did he now? Well, if he didn't want to discuss it with you, then I guess I'm not at liberty to tell."

Sakura leaned forward, here emerald eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Wait, that's not the reason? You _have_ to tell me. What is it?" she begged.

"Can't say," she replied simply not able to keep the smirk off her face. "You're just gonna have to ask him yourself."

Sakura groaned, banging her had on the wooden desk. "As if he'd tell me."

"You never know." She looked out at the window, an orange haze shining through. "It's getting late, why don't you head on home. We've finished enough for today."

"Really?" she said, lifting her head with hope. "You're sure?"

Tsunade nodded in response, her blonde pigtails swishing in response.

"Thanks!" she said earnestly, relief showing plain inner face. She got up to leave.

"Sakura," she called, big looking up from her desk. "Thinking of stopping somewhere on the way home?"

Realization filled her eyes as she saw what her superior was referring to.

"Yeah..." she answered slowly, a smile growing on her face. "Yeah, I think I will. Thanks Tsunade-sama!"

"Anytime."

And at that moment, she was unable to decide whether she had just cursed the Uchiha or helped him, but she was leaning towards the latter.

* * *

"Sasuke-sensei!" Manami wailed. "What's up with you? You've been distracted all day."

"It's probably cause of him woman problems," Teru supplied. "He got beaten up pretty bad yesterday." Kin nodded solemnly behind him.

Sasuke sighed and covered his eyes with his hand. It was true, he had gotten a nasty beating yesterday, but Sakura, being Sakura, had healed most of the damage after it was done anyway.

Of course, Sakura, being Sakura, also let him keep a couple injuries too as payback. Including the gruesome black eye he was sporting.

"Yeah, she really got you guys good," Manami agreed. "I don't mean to rub salt in the wound, but it was pretty embarrassing."

Dragging his hands down his face, he rested them at his lips, standing in contemplative silence. "You know what, we're done for today."

"What?" the three pupils said in unison, confusion written all over their faces. Even Hiyake let out a whine.

"We're done. We've trained all day, it's time to be done."

"Well, okay..." Manami replied slowly, glancing at her teammates. They shrugged in response.

He nodded shortly. Beginning to walk away, he called over his shoulder. "See you tomorrow, same time and place!" He listened to their dubious silence before they began to talk amongst themselves.

"Well that was weird... Hey, Kin! Let's go get ramen for dinner!" Manami said happily. He could almost hear her ginormous grin.

"Sure, sounds like fun."

"Hey! What about us?" Teru called, running after them.

Manami snorted. "What about _you_?"

"Me and Hiyake want ramen too!"

"Ruff!"

"Hiyake can come, but I don't care about what _you_ want—"

"Hey, hey. Guys, we can all go."

"...Fine."

"Fine!"

"..."

"Hey, did you hear about the thing with old lady yesterday..."

Sasuke smirked. Despite a couple obvious differences, sometimes Team Four couldn't help but remind him of the old Team Seven.

* * *

Sasuke walked through the market place, his hands in his vest pockets. He had just about gotten used to the green apparel he was now supposed to wear, but it was a bit different from his usual ANBU attire.

The sun had set and the cool night air felt great against his still-sweaty skin. He walked slowly, still contemplating what had been bothering him the entire day. Was he justified in spying on Sakura? He didn't see why not. He was just guaranteeing the safety of her and the village. That guy could've been dangerous. In fact, if anything, she should be grateful.

But then again, he could probably see her point. He hadn't exactly been thrilled with his twenty-four hour ANBU surveillance when he returned to Konoha. Privacy was a precious thing.

Should he apoligize? Apologizing wasn't really something he did very often. He wasn't like that Hyuga Hinata girl who felt the need to immediately say sorry after every little thing. Besides, the beating was probably enough for her.

So then why did he still feel so _guilty_? It's like something was nagging inside him.

He stopped at a nearby stall. "Excuse me, how much for the tomatoes and the rice?"

An old woman shuffled up to the table. "two-thousand yen, sonny," she answered in a shaky but kind voice. "Actually, I'll make it fifteen-hundred, since you're so handsome."

He nodded with a polite smile and thanked her. As he reached to take his new purchases, he saw her eyes widen as they noticed the Uchiha clan symbol on his sleeve—a slight of fear reflected in her features. Too old to remember his face alone, but healthy enough in mind to realize what the symbol meant, he guessed. He sighed, turning to head down the road that led to the Uchiha Grounds.

Stepping through the gate, he examined the surroundings. As soon as he was able, he had begun fixing up the old area, washing the streets and painting the walls. He was quite pleased with how the grass had grown in, and the flowers Ino had lent looked nice. Of course, he had gotten help from his teammates. Naruto's clones sped up the process ten-fold, and Sakura'a inhuman strength really got the dirt out of those nasty spots.

Overall, it was one of the better points in his life so far, but despite its attractive outer appearance, he couldn't completely get rid off the pain he sometimes felt when he remembered the massacre and how it used to be. But he knew the truth now, and he would do anything to protect this village.

Walking into his house, he removed his shoes and walked into the kitchen, picking out a tomatoes and throwing the rest in a basket. He stuffed the rice in a cabinet. Sinking his teeth into the red fruit's juicy center, he decided to unwind on the couch, discarding himself with thoughts of Team Four's training schedule.

_Knock knock knock._

He rolled his eyes and sighed with annoyance. Who the hell wanted him right now? _If this is Naruto again, I swear I am going to kick his ass so hard..._

_Knock knock knock._

The knocking became more insistent. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" he yelled. He began to open the door. "Listen, idiot, if this is another one of your late-night schemes—"

However, it wasn't the usual combination of blonde hair and cerulean eyes. No, instead, he he was surprised to see a shock of pink and a pair of two viridian eyes peering up at him.

"We need to talk."

* * *

**A/N: Dun dun dunn.**

**Thanks for reading! Please review :)**


	10. Hurt - Hypocritical

**Chapter 10: _Hurt - Hypocritical_**

* * *

"We need to talk."

Sakura stood at his doorstep, her green eyes staring at him expectantly.

Hiding his initial shock, he wordlessly opened the door wider, making room for her to enter. She wasted no time in marching straight to the kitchen and taking a seat at the counter. He followed and stood at the opposite side of the table, eyebrows raised and arms crossed.

He let out a long breath. "Is this about that thing yesterday?" he asked monotonously.

"No," she replied haughtily. "As a matter of fact it is not. But Im still mad at you— Don't forget that." Tapping her fingers on the table, she matched Sasuke's eyebrow raise. "You see, I was talking to Tsunade-sama the other day, and the topic of your occupation as a genin leader just _happened_ to come up."

She stood up and began pacing around the room. "As I recall, your exact words for the reason you had this position was _'I asked her for a more challenging mission, and she gave me one,'_ correct?" She illustrated this with finger quotes and a poor baritone imitation of his voice.

Keeping his face carefully blank, he inclined his head slightly, motioning for her to continue.

"However," she said, pausing in her pacing to look at him straight in the face, "Tsunade had told me that that was _not_, in fact, the actual reason. Care to explain?" Her face feigned innocence.

_Damn that Hokage_, he cursed inwardly.

He stared back cooly. "What, she didn't say anything?"

"Unfortunately not. She said if I wanted to find out, I had to ask you, hence my presence." Pointing an accusatory finger in his direction, she continued, "And I think we both know you owe me."

He scratched the back of his head with annoyance. "Tch, beating me up wasn't enough?"

"Not for me!" she smiled savagely.

He sighed and leaned his back around the counter. After a few painful moments of silent consideration, he opened his mouth. "If I do tell you," he started, "then everything from yesterday is dropped, and Naruto can by no means hear any of this. Understand?"

The pinkette nodded earnestly, eyes wide and excited for this new information. She decided to sit back down.

"Okay," he began, releasing yet another sigh. He stared at a random space on the wall. "A little while ago, I went to the Hokage and asked her..." He mumbled the rest incoherently.

Sakura's eyes widened even larger, appalled that the _great_ Uchiha Sasuke was resorting to such childish tactics. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

He rolled his eyes and repeated it, this time speaking clear enough for her to understand. "I went to the Hokage and asked her for a way for me to gain more trust from the people in the village." And with that, he quickly erupted into a robotic, monotonous monologue that sounded like a poorly written script. "This was because I felt as though my missions and my ability to protect the village with the utmost efficiency were being hindered with the lack of certainty in me. Henceforth, the Hokage came up with the proposition that if I were to become a genin squad leader, I would gain the trust of the children, thus gaining the trust of their parents, ultimately gaining the assurance of those in Konoha that came into contact with any of these people."

His lips pursed as though threatening to release one of his trademark sighs while he impatiently waited for Sakura to process this.

"So..." she said slowly. Sasuke snapped his head up to look at her. "Out of all that, what I understood was..." She tilted her head up and grinned devilishly. "Wittle Sasuke finally wants the village to _LOVE_ him!" She burst into a fit of evil giggles.

He smacked a hand against his forehead and gave her a smoldering glare. "This is exactly why I did not tell you or Naruto."

"Okay, okay," she wheezed, controlling her laughter. "I'm sorry. I actually think that's great." She stared at him with a small smile until he began to find it creepy.

"Stop it," he said, looking away.

"Stop what?"

"Looking at me like I'm a... cute little boy you might see on the street. Or a puppy" He grimaced.

The green-eyed kunoichi let out another laugh. "Sorry, but with what you just told me, you might as well be one." Reaching across the counter top, she squeezed the Uchiha's cheek playfully. "And I guess all is forgiven now, huh?" she smiled.

To her surprise, instead of shrugging out of the granny-pinch like he normally would, he laid a hand on top of hers, staring at her cooly.

Her face colored to the shade of her hair. Seeing this, he gently lifted her hand off and set it on the counter.

"Well, it's not like it'll happen again anyway."

She couldn't tell whether he was referring to Naruto and his actions or the date itself, and a lump formed in her throat when she remembered the dinner plans Tamotsu had made with her for tomorrow. Avoiding his gaze, she just decided to agree.

"Haha, yeah."

Noticing her sudden change in personality, anger rose up inside him. "You're meeting him again," he deadpanned.

She looked flustered and her ears tinged pink, becoming almost indiscernible from her hair. "Yeah, so? What's with that tone? It's not up to you anyway!" Her chair screeched as she stood up angrily.

"He gives me a bad feeling."

"I assume you got this from your stalker-ish spying? You don't even know him!"

"Neither do you," he replied, and icy aura surrounding him.

She glared at him, so furious it was almost hard to speak through her gritted teeth. "I know he's a _nice_ and _mannerly_ guy, unlike current company!

Grabbing a fistful of his raven-black hair, he closed his eyes. "I just don't trust him, okay?"

"No," she whispered, shaking with fury.

His eyes opened and widened when he saw how absolutely _angry_ she looked. It was almost terrifying.

"No," she repeated, louder this time. "I-it's not that you don't trust _him, _it's that you don't trust _me_." She took a shaky breath, her voicing escalating higher and higher in volume. "I mean, here you are going on about how you want the villagers to trust you and see you differently, but you can't even trust your own teammates!" She was fully yelling now, her face flushing a deep red. "Maybe before you start whining for others to change, you 'ought to look at yourself, you fucking _hypocrite_." Tears began streaming down her face.

"Sakura, I—"

"What do you want, me to pine after you forever?" She had said this just barely above a whisper, and he hardly picked it up. Still crying, she ran out of the room.

For some reason, he couldn't get himself to move to stop her, to apologize. But when he heard the door slam, it was as if the spell had been broken and his face collapsed into his hands.

* * *

Sasuke laid on the couch, feeling worse than he had when he had first arrived at his house. How could he be so _stupid_? The image of Sakura's tear-streaked face kept appearing in his mind. He didn't know how long he had been lying there, but it had to be for at least and hour or two by now. He supposed he should shower.

_Knock knock_

His head shot up, instantly hopeful that it was Sakura coming back, but even to him that sounded unlikely. If anything, it really was Naruto this time. He seriously considered ignoring it but eventually got up and shuffled towards the entry way.

Lethargically opening the door, he closed his eyes and sighed. "Naruto, its way too late for this."

"SASUKE-SENSEI!" three happy voices yelled, almost deafening him. In fact, their happiness was so bright, it practically stabbed his poor, depressed soul. Tayaki yipped at his feet.

"Hiya, sensei!" Manami beamed, standing on her tippy-toes. "We came to visit you since you seemed to be so down today."

"We brought a cake!" Tēru grinned, indicating a large package in Kin's arms.

The green-eyed boy shrugged. "My mom owns a bakery, she let us borow the kitchen for a while."

The Uchiha scratched his head. "A cake? What time is it?"

"Pretty late," the tiny girl chirped. "We would've been here earlier, but doofus here screwed up our first cake." She paused to whack Teru on the head. —OW!—

"But once we finished, we weren't about to just not bring the cake just cause it was late," Kin finished, holding out the tub.

Seeing no other choice, Sasuke accepted the homemade cake and invited them in.

* * *

Sasuke didn't exactly have much experience when it came to cakes, but he was pretty certain this was a God-awful piece of desert. It was as tasteless as paper, and somehow managed to be both disgustingly watery and desert-dry at the same time. However, seeing their eager faces stare at him as he took the first bite of the practically frosted diarrhea, there was no way he could not nod his head and say it was delicious.

They all sat back with relieved sighs.

"My mom may own a bakery, but I still had no idea what the heck I was doing," Kin said, scratching his head with relief.

Teru nodded. "Yeah, I think there's probably some pretty weird stuff in that thing."

It took all Sasuke's willpower not to cough it up and spit it out at that point.

"So," Manami started, wanting to get right into business. "I assume your distraction today is due to your lady problems?" She wiggled her eyebrows teasingly. "In fact, you look worse than you did when you left us! What happened?"

"Grown-up stuff," he replied blankly.

The three gave him pitying looks. "Aw, it's alright sensei," Teru said, stooping down to give Tayaki a lick of cake. "Everybody's got lady problems at some point."

Manami smacked him in the back of the head again. "What do you know about that!?"

Rubbing his floppy-haired head sorely, he wailed, "See what I mean!?"

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk a little at their actions.

"Well maybe if you weren't such an _idiot_ I wouldn't hit you all the time!" she huffed. Turning to her other teammate, she smiled. "Right Kin?"

Teru growled threateningly. "If you say yes, I swear..."

Kin blanched, waving his hands. "I'm not getting into this."

Sasuke felt his spirits lighten a little watching Team Four, and he managed a small chuckle.

Manami's head snapped back to look at him and she beamed. "You're laughing! That's much better. Must be the cake, huh? You know, we never even tried it!" The three all nodded in agreement and reached to take slices.

Sasuke watched, a little evilly, as they all simultaneously popped the little spoonfuls of garbage in their mouth. He smirked, waiting for the bomb to blast.

Almost instantly, Manami and Kin turned a pale shade of green and ran to spit it out in the sink.

"I thought you said it was good!"

"That was the grossest thing I've ever tasted!" They wailed.

The three turned to stare at Teru who was still seated at the table, happily munching away.

"Hey, this is pretty good!"

Like teacher like student, the three covered their eyes and let out identical sighs. But, at the same time, it was times like these that made him think this "mission" wouldn't be as bad as he had thought.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks! Please review!**

**Thanks to all you who have liked, followed, and reviewed thus far! ㈶0**


	11. Forgiving - Fuming

**Chapter 11: _Forgiving - Fuming_**

* * *

"So you're following in your old teacher's footsteps, huh Sasuke?" Kakashi said, leaning back in his chair. "I'm getting old."

He sat on a bench and stared at his now grown-up pupils. The sun was setting, and it cast a hazy pinkish-orange glow over everything in sight. He stretched, cracking the joints in his back.

Naruto laughed, smacking him on the shoulder. "The white hair doesn't help much either!"

Sasuke stared at the two. He really wasn't that old. Kakashi, that is. He had a few wrinkles around the eyes, and probably a few more underneath that mask of his, but he otherwise looked pretty young. Though he supposed early-forties was getting a little rusty in terms of a ninja career, he'd seen plenty of people older than him who still had some impressive skills.

Kakashi's hands went up to self-consciously touch his spiky hair. "It's silver, not white. There's a big difference. Silver is completely youthful."

"Whatever you say," the blonde shrugged, though a knowing grin still sat plainly on his face.

"Anyway," the _silver-_haired man said, changing the subject and turning to look at Sasuke. "How's it going? Do you like the kids? Which one gave you that nasty black eye?"

The Uchiha frowned. He had almost forgotten the nasty injury he had gotten from Sakura's beating, though it seemed to be fading. "Long story. They're alright," he said, thinking to himself for a moment. "Well, one's fine. The other two are probably slightly insane."

Naruto nodded, knowing from experience which ones he was referring to.

"Training today was pretty productive, though." He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared up at the orange sky. It really _had_ been a productive day. Maybe he was getting used to this sensei thing after all.

"Well, if they ever get too out of hand, you can always try the ol' Thousand Years of Pain," he said, clasping two hands together for demonstration. "But only if they're boys— I don't think it'd go over very well if you did that to a little girl."

Sasuke blinked. "Yeah. No thanks."

"Seriously!" Naruto exclaimed. "Nobody deserves that kind of pain!"

"If you say so." With a shrug of his shoulders and a sigh, Kakashi stood up. "Well, I should get going now."

"Where do you have to be?" Naruto asked, looking up curiously.

"Just going to go chat with a few old friends," the silver-haired man replied, smiling cheerily. He raised his hand in farewell. "Bye."

"Alright," the blonde shrugged. The two waved back and watched their old teacher walk away. "Looks like it's just you and me, Emo. Got anywhere to be?"

"How long are you gonna keep calling me that?" The dark-haired man muttered.

"As long as it's true!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes in reply, and the two sat in silence for a couple minutes, watching the villagers pass by.

"Hey, Sasuke."

"Hn."

"You ever talk to Sakura after that... Thing?"

"Hn."

The blue-eyed man sighed with exasperation. "Is that a yes or no? Even after all these years, I still can never tell."

"Yes," the Uchiha replied gruffly.

Naruto nodded. "Me too. I bought her ramen this morning to apologize, and she said everything was okay." He grinned and stretched, scratching the back of his head. "I was worried there though, she was so damn angry."

Sasuke's eyes darkened as he remembered how 'not well' his talk with Sakura had been. But, Naruto assumed he had apologized, so he was just gonna roll with that.

"Hn."

"You're doing that just to piss me off aren'tcha, bastard?"

"Hn." The Uchiha smirked.

"Fine!" the blonde exclaimed, angrily getting up. He crossed his arms. "I've gotta go meet up with Hinata anyway. It's weird, it feels like we don't get to see eachother very much since started this 'Hokage training' thing."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Complaining about your perfect dream?"

"Hah!" The blonde guffawed. "More like just rubbing it in." He clapped his friend on the shoulder. "See ya, loser."

"Hn." The dark-eyed man watched his best friend jog away before turning back to watch the villagers aimlessly pass by. He sat in silence for a couple more minutes before finally deciding to get up. The sun had completely set, and the stars had come out.

He was hungry. _Maybe I'll grab something to eat—_

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a familiar laugh.

_Sakura_.

He looked down the street and saw her. Well, _them_. She was talking to some blonde-haired guy. The same guy, he recognized, from her lunch meeting.

_So she _had_ gone out to dinner with him again_. He clenched his fists.

He should move, he thought to himself, before she saw him. But he didn't. He simply stood in the middle of the street and watched them. It was then as Sakura reached up to hug the man goodbye that she saw him over his shoulder.

"Sasuke?" she called, still hugging the man. Her pink brows bunched in confusion.

He decided to quickly turn and walk away, acting as though he had never seen or heard her, but it was useless. It was a pretty stupid idea, actually.

"Sasuke!" she called again, her voice sounded closer, and knowing she would eventually chase him down if he didn't turn around now, he gave up. He looked back with his eyebrows raised. "What?"

She stood right in front of him, green eyes twinkling happily, like they'd never even argued. "Hey!" She greeted. Taking his hand, she smiled. "Come on, I'm gonna introduce you."

This was honestly the last thing he wanted right now, but since he knew this was her way of trying to make up with him, he let her drag him along. She supposed she was trying to get him to see that this guy wasn't dangerous, like he had accused him of possibly being before.

"Tamotsu, Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke, Osuma Tamotsu." She introduced them, using excessive hand gestures. Sasuke searched the blue-eyed man, searching for something wrong with him. The only thing he found was a surprising amount of injuries.

"Ah, Sasuke, right? Sakura tells me you're her teammate. It's nice to meet you." The freckled man outstretched his hand.

Sasuke frowned inwardly. Normally everybody, even those from other villages, knew who he was, but to this guy he was just "Sakura's teammate."

"Yeah," he replied, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Tamotsu has amnesia from his injuries, so he'll be staying in the village for a while," Sakura explained, smiling up at the golden-haired man.

Well. That explained it.

"Yup!" Tamotsu chimed in. "I guess I'm just lucky to have such a great medic helping me around." He grinned at a blushing Sakura.

"Aren't we all," Sasuke said bluntly. He turned and began to walk away.

"It was nice to meet you," he called without looking back. "Really."

"Sasuke!" Sakura yelled after him, he could hear the frown in her voice. But she didn't follow him. Not this time.

He could still hear them talking.

"...so meet there tomorrow around three, then?"

He gritted his teeth and walked faster, turning at the last second instead of walking down the road that would take him to the a Uchiha grounds. He kept walking until he reached the familiar clearing Team Seven and, just earlier today, Team Four had trained in.

Swiftly walking up to a tree, he charged his hand up with Chidori and struck it, obliterating the middle of the trunk and up, leaving only a charred, splintery stump. Pieces of bark scattered in every direction, and the scent of burning wood filled the air.

He bent over, hands on his knees, and panted, anger and adrenaline coursing through his body.

"Why?" He whispered to himself. Why did that guy annoy him so much? Why was he so angry? Why did he just wanna take that stupid, freckled face and shove it into a cactus? The worst part was he had seemed completely normal. No evil intentions at all. He couldn't even say that the guy seemed _too _normal, because the bastard was exactly the exact perfect fucking amount of normal.

Bunching his fingers in the fabric of his pants, he let out a roar of frustration.

"Whoa there," a voice called from the bushes. "Angry, much? Hope it's not something my little cousin did."

Sasuke looked up, glaring at the smiling, fanged brunette.

"What do you want, Inuzuka?"

The man smirked and crossed his arms.

"Hokage called. It's mission time."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review! :)**

**P.S. The part about Kakashi 'chatting with old friends' was referring to him visiting Obito and Rin's graves, just in case you didn't get that.**

**P.P.S. All you SasuSaku fans out there— do not be discouraged by the last couple manga chapters. _STAY STRONG! WE WILL SURVIVE! _**

**(Me reading Ch. 693- ㈷2㈸1㈷7)**

**But, hey, you know, he didn't _kill_ her. He totally could have but he didn't. ...that's gotta count for something, right? And he listened to her and everything. Also, in 694, it could be that he's _trying_ to make her hate him. Think about it. Eh? Eh?**

** I AM TRYING HERE PEOPLE.**

**Sorry for rambling. ㈵9✌️**


	12. Perfect - Prepared

**Chapter 12: _Perfect - Prepared_**

* * *

"The mission itself won't be too difficult." Tsunade said, her hands folded in front of her face as she stared at the three men. There were bags under her eyes, and quite frankly, it was plain to see they were all exhausted. "But it's a very rich and important client."

The three stared at her, waiting for her to continue. A rich client was typically always a good thing.

"The fact of the matter is, he's paying us triple the amount if you two are there to complete it." She gestured to Naruto and Sasuke with a pale hand.

Naruto whooped, basking in his famed glory.

"What are we, chopped liver?" Kiba grumbled, crossing his arms poutingly. Akamaru let out a high-pitched whine in agreement.

She chuckled. "Don't worry, Kiba, Akamaru. You're important too."

"Yeah, not to this client, apparently," he muttered.

Sasuke, who had been standing silently and barely listening the entire time, almost too tired to even care about what was going on, spoke up, suddenly remembering a certain obligation he had been given not too long ago. "Wait a minute," he frowned. "What about my team?" In his eyes, he was technically _already_ on a mission.

"Your team?" she repeated, her brows wrinkling with a confused expression. "Ah, your team." She smirked at the dark-haired man. "Glad to see you're taking this seriously."

He stared at her expectantly, his patience wearing thin.

"Ah, well, this mission should only take a week, a week and a half, tops. I'd say you could take them along, but this client was _very_ specific in that he wanted nobody but ANBU level ninja." She continued. "Anyway, we know where they'll be intercepting, but we don't know exactly what time or day. You can have someone fill in for daily training for that amount of time if you want, but it won't be a substantial amount of time lost."

He nodded, stepping back. Actually, he knew from personal experience that a week without training at that age seemed like an eternity. He'd have to find someone to substitute, or find some other way to occupy their time. His thoughts were interrupted as Tsunade began to speak again.

"Now, for the mission details," she began, shuffling around her papers. Grinding what she was looking for, she spoke up again. "It's on short notice. You leave two days from now. But as I said, the mission itself is pretty simple. Our client is delivering an important package, and apparently caught wind of the fact that enemy-nin are planning to intercept it. He will already have ninja accompanying the delivery, but you three are to stake-out at the point of planned interception just in case."

"What!?" Naruto wailed, his hands flinging up in the air. "You might as well just send _Sasuke's_ team out there and call 'em ANBU! I mean, our job is practically already done for us, what with those other ninja traveling with him." He crossed his arms and pouted. "I can't believe I had to ditch Hinata for _this_."

Though he rolled his eyes at his teammates idiocy, the Uchiha couldn't help but agree. This just seemed like a waste of time.

"I know, I know," the pigtailed woman replied, shaking her head apologetically. "I even thought about having two other ninja use a transformation jutsu and act in your place, but anything could happen, and this is a very important client. It's better not to risk it." She took a swig out of the nearby sake bottle on her desk.

"Again, why am I here?" Kiba asked underneath his breath.

"Because," she answered, "Your sensitive nose will help sense the enemy-nin before they attack." She looked pointedly at the blonde and black-haired men. "Plus, this is a stealth mission, and I still have to worry about these two killing eachother every time they're together."

The Inuzuka shrugged. "Fair enough."

Sitting on the ground in a huff, Naruto puffed out his cheeks. "I still don't understand why we're doing this." It was as if the twenty-four year old had become a toddler in a matter of seconds.

The amber-eyed woman sighed. "Like I said, this is a very _rich_ and important client. You coming means a whole lot of compensation. Compensation one could use for, say... Ramen?"

The whiskered-man perked up at this. He stood back up, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, I suppose I could do it. Just this once."

Sasuke shook his head as Tsunade smirked.

"Idiot."

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke through the village together, the mission brief completed after having had recieved the rest of the required details. The night was eerily quiet and almost pitch-black, the sky made even darker by the large clouds covering the moon and stars. The air smelled damp, a clear sign of soon-to-come rain, and the humidity pulled down on everything, as though it enhanced gravity. All of the villagers and market-workers had already gone home, and Kiba had quickly left, tired and saying he wanted to go to bed. Sasuke's stomach rumbled, reminding him that he had forgotten to eat.

The blonde raised his eyebrows at him. "You hungry? I've got some instant-ramen back at my place. It's late. You can crash there if you want."

Shaking his head in reply, the Uchina shoved his hands in his pockets. "I've got some leftovers at my place."

"Alright," Naruto shrugged.

The two walked in silence for a couple more minutes.

"Hey, what're you gonna do about your team while you're gone? Gonna find a substitute?" He smirked at Sasuke's shrug in reply. "How about Konohamaru?" He grinned mischievously. "I taught him everything he knows."

"Hell no," the dark-haired man answered. "The last thing I need is them learning your pervy ninjutsu."

Looking honestly offended, the whiskered-man pouted. "They're good and you know it." He quickly got over it and resumed thinking of a list of possible candidates. His blonde brows twisted in concentration as he stared ahead. "How 'bout Kakashi?"

Sasuke scoffed. "He'd never show up."

"Neji?"

"Too serious."

"Shikamaru?"

"Not serious enough."

"Chouji?"

"He'd eat them."

Naruto burst into a fit of laughter at that, his cerulean eyes tearing up. Even Sasuke allowed himself a tiny smirk.

The blonde sighed, wiping a tear away from the corner of his eye. "Ohh, that was a good one." He sighed again, letting out a few more chuckles. Finally calming down, he continued. "Anyway, I'd say Sakura, but I'm pretty sure she's way too busy at the hospital."

Sasuke paused in his steps, feeling a pang go through him.

Sakura.

_Sakura_.

With Mr. Normal.

_Alone_.

All week.

With no one to watch them.

"Boy, is she gonna be mad she isn't coming with!" Naruto laughed. "You know how she's been complaining about the lack of 'Team Seven missions' lately—" he cut himself off, noticing that his teammate was stopped a couple feet behind him. He jogged back. "Oi! Idiot! What's the matter with you?" He waved a hand in front of the Uchiha's face and snapped a couple times. "Helloooo?"

Sasuke stood still, his mind racing. And then, all of the sudden, it stopped.

"No," he said suddenly, snapping out of it. "It's fine. It's perfect."

"What is?" the blue-eyed man asked impatiently. "Man, you're really speaking in code here."

"The replacement." He started walking again, leaving Naruto to catch up with him.

Staying in place, Naruto frowned and scratched his head. "Who, Sakura?"

He nodded.

"What about all her medic work? It's up to her in the end, you know," he called after the dark-haired man.

"It'll be fine," he said, with a note of finality, his hand waving behind him.

Naruto shrugged, sensing his friend's seriousness. He jogged to catch up. "If you say so."

And it would be fine. He knew it. Because she wouldn't say no.

* * *

"Here's the plan," Sasuke began, looking at his three younger teammates.

It was drizzling around them, and the sky was gray and heavy with clouds. But, Sasuke had forced them to have training anyway, despite their protests. _There's no telling what the weather will be like during a mission. You have to learn how to fight, even in the rain, _he had told them. Of course, that had done nothing to stop their complaining... until he had brought up the prospect of a new mission, that is.

They stared back at him with excitement, anxiously waiting. A small bit of guilt tugged at him on the inside, knowing that they probably wouldn't be too happy about the assignment they were about to be given.

"What!?" Teru exclaimed, his amber eyes widening in shock. You expect us to do _what_?!" Manami and Kin looked equally surprised, and also, slightly afraid. It was exactly the reaction he had expected.

The Uchiha rolled his eyes and sighed. "It's simple. Sakura's gonna substitute for me while I'm on my mission, and you guys are just gonna... keep tabs on her for little while."

Teru dragged his hands down his face. "Do you remember what happened the _last_ time we _spied_ on her? It was not pretty!" Manami and Kin nodded their heads in agreement from the side.

Waving his hand dismissively, Sasuke replied, "Relax, she wouldn't beat you guys up. Just think of it as... extra training."

Stepping up as well, Manami twirled her long black hair nervously. "But, Sasuke-sensei, wouldn't it be better to just... let Sakura be? Why do you have to watch her anyway? Can't you trust her?" She tugged at her purple skirt anxiously.

Her words echoed in his ears and reminded him of what Sakura had said to him two days before.

_I-it's not that you don't trust _him_, it's that you don't trust _me_. I mean, here you are going on and on about how you want the villagers to trust you and see you differently, but you can't even trust your own teammates!_

But it wasn't that he didn't trust Sakura. If anything, it was that he didn't trust that _Tamotsu_ guy. He didn't understand why Sakura couldn't see that.

"Because," he replied, shaking himself. "The guy she's been meeting with could be dangerous." He winced inwardly at his blatant lie. But how else could he describe how he needed them to watch her? He couldn't make sense of it himself.

Kin frowned, walking over to stand next to Manami. "Dangerous? He seemed pretty normal to me when we saw him before."

"Guys, come on. He _likes_ her," Teru whispered loudly, causing Manami to giggle. Tayaki wagged his tail and yipped, pawing at the Uchiha's leg.

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke turned and walked back into the clearing. "Enough of this. Let's just start today's training." After walking a couple more feet, he sighed with annoyance as he realized they weren't following him. Clenching his fists, he turned to see three smirking faces looking up at him.

"What?"

Manami burst into another fit of giggles. Her violet eyes sparkled as she clasped her hands behind her back.

"You didn't deny it!"

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review :)**

**P.S. NARUTO 695: Wonder if Sakura will wake up and go to where Sasuke and Naruto are fighting, or if she'll just stay unconscious. She'd probably just get in the way, but still...**

**P.P.S. ONLY FIVE CHAPTERS LEFT!? ㈷5㈷7㈸1**


	13. Girl Talk - Guy Talk

**Chapter 13: ****_Girl Talk - Guy Talk_**

* * *

"Any sign of them yet?" Naruto asked, his back to a high-above-the-ground tree, legs swinging. He yawned noisily, too lazy to even cover it with his hand.

After leaping through trees since the crack of dawn just to get their station point, they had been on alert for a painful fifteen hours without a single sign of the enemy. It didn't help that the so-called "enemy" was supposedly a bunch of amateurs, which didn't exactly raise the adrenaline.

"Not even a whiff," Kiba replied. He laid stomach-down on a nearby branch, swinging his arms boredly. Akamaru sat just a foot away.

Sasuke was the only one still standing. He leaned against the opposite side of the same trunk as Naruto's.

"Yo, bastard," the blonde called. "How have you not collapsed yet? Take a seat, man."

He waited a few moments for the Uchiha's response, but as expected, it didn't come. He chuckled mischievously.

"Sasuke, you've been awfully quiet lately. Don't suppose you've been thinking about _Sakura-chan_," he teased, singing her name with a lift.

Kiba lifted his head at this with a confused expression. "What, Sasuke's got the hots for Haruno now?"

"Well, I've got a theory—"

"Alright, that's enough," Sasuke interrupted. _God these two are annoying, _he thought, gritting his teeth. "You guys are getting delirious from lack of sleep. I'll take first watch."

Naruto shook his head furiously. So furiously, Sasuke could _hear_ it. "What if I don't wanna sleep?" he whined, his voice akin to a four year-old's.

"Yeah, no way," Kiba chimed in, plucking a leaf off a nearby branch. "Besides, Akamaru and I are supposed to be sniffing out for these guys' location or whatever."

The dark-haired man sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Fine. Do whatever you want."

They sat in another few, but blissful in Sasuke's opinion, moments of silence before Naruto expectedly spoke up again. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he listened to their conversation.

"Sasuke, why can'tcha just be honest with yerrself," the blue-eyed man started, his words slurring. "You _want _Sakura-chan. Say it. You want her so bad you're just about to pee yourself."

Kiba broke out into a fit of laughter at this, and Sasuke heard a couple large thuds, probably him hitting the bark of the tree with his fists to contain himself.

Naruto continued. "I mean, I want Hinata-chan right now. I want her _so _bad."

Kiba's laughter stopped as he looked up at the blonde. "Dude, what are you doing with your hands? That's my teammate you're talking about."

Wrinkling his face in disgust, Sasuke could only imagine what sort of hand motions his friend was doing at the moment.

Naruto, ignoring the both of them, continued his complaining. "HINATAAAAAA," he groaned, waving his hands in the air. "_HINATAAAA,_ HINATA, WHERE ARE YOU."

"Will you _shut up?" _Sasuke said sharply, his words traveling through the air and smacking Naruto like a gong, effectively silencing him.

"Sure," the hyperactive man said simply. "I'll shut up."

The Uchiha sighed in relief, but knew at the same time that nothing ever came that easily with Naruto.

"...If you say it."

Dragging a hand down his face, Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Say _what_?"

He heard the blonde trying to stifle his laughs before speaking up again.

"Say you love Sakura. Say you love her so bad you're about to pee your pants."

He kept his voice cool. "There's no way in hell I'm gonna say that."

"Fine, fine, you don't have to say that last part. But, if you want me to shut up you _do_ have to say you _love_ Sakura."

Looking up at the sky, Sasuke sighed. "Why." This was some weird twist in Naruto's perverted humor.

"Cause I said so." Naruto's voice, losing its joking tone, suddenly sounded serious.

Sasuke hesitated, the blonde's sudden change in demeanor shocking him for a moment.

"Say it."

He paused. The air was filled only with the empty sound of Kiba plucking leaves off trees.

"SAY IT OR I'LL SCREAM."

"You're already screaming—"

"Sasuke."

The dark-haired man could hear Naruto's annoyance building.

"Dude, I swear—"

"I love her."

Naruto blinked in surprise, and Kiba let out a small 'whoop'. The guy had said it pretty quietly, and kind of grumpily, but the jinchuuriki still couldn't believe it. Despite all of his teasing, he couldn't believe the guy had actually said it. "I'm sorry, what?"

Kiba paused in his leaf plucking to grin. "Yeah, I didn't hear you there," he called. Akamaru let out a small bark in agreement.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Sasuke replied. But his eyes were still wide with shock. He felt strange. Something about saying those words out loud made his stomach clench, even though it didn't mean anything. Even though he only did it to make Naruto shut up. Right?

"Nope, sorry, didn't catch that!" Naruto called.

Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes with annoyance, but said it again never the less.

"I love her," he said, calling it out more loudly this time, earning another cheer from Kiba. "I love Haruno Sakura. I love her so bad I'm going to pee myself." He spoke the whole sentence monotonously, but the stomach-dropping reaction inside was still the same. And he wasn't so dense as to not realize what it was.

With a quiet 'whoosh' Naruto was suddenly there, crouching in front of his best friend's still-shocked face with a knowing grin.

"I knew it."

* * *

"Relax your hands a bit more. Yup, there you go. Perfect."

Tsunade had granted Sakura a week of shortened work days, understanding the conditions of her absence, and Sakura now only had to go into the hospital later in the day, leaving morning completely open for substituting for Sasuke.

She stood in front of a petite black-haired girl, Manami, she remembered, and was instructing her on some beginner medical ninjutsu. Sasuke had told her previously about her surprisingly high level of chakra control, and over the past three days, she had been improving it the only way she knew how.

She looked up to check on Teru and Kin, who were sparring in the clearing nearby, before returning her eyes to the young girl. She was happily surprised to find that she had a quiet, hardworking side along with her usual hyper, perky self, and was working in silence with a determined expression on her face.

Her hands were trained on a large, sickly fish a kind man had given them at the market for free, and her fingers glowed with a mint-green haze.

"Nice job," the pinkette nodded. It had taken her a while to teach her _how_ to do it initially, but she was pleased to see she was picking it up quickly.

They went in like this for a couple more minutes, with Sakura giving a few tips and Manami adjusting respectively. Finally, the fish began to flop its tail, it's gills quaking for water.

Manami gasped, her violet eyes widening in shock. She beamed a smile at Sakura, who grinned in response, scooping the fish into the nearby bucket of water.

"I did it!" she exclaimed, catching the attention of her two teammates, who—pausing in their miniature battle—shortly jogged over, curiosity written on their faces.

"Whoa!" the green-eyed boy said, peering into the bucket. "You healed it?"

Manami blushed and widened her grin. "Yup!"

He shook his head with awe. "That's amazing."

Teru, flipping his head back and forth between his teammate's exchange, spoke up hurriedly. "Yeah, Manami, that's really, uh, cool!"

"Thanks," she smiled in reply.

Sakura stared at the shaggy haired boy, laughing inwardly as she realized that even he had a sensitive side to him. She wondered if Sasuke had ever noticed this.

"Shoot," she said suddenly, looking up at the sky. "What time is it? I'm late."

The three looked at her with confusion. Manami spoke up first. "Late for what?"

"Ah, I'm supposed to meet with a friend soon," she replied, picking up her bag hurriedly. "Is it alright if I get going now? We'll meet here same time tomorrow!"

"Wait, Sakura-sensei," the dark-haired girl called, grabbing onto her hand and stopping her. "The person you're meeting wouldn't happen to be that blonde-haired guy, would it?"

"Manami!" Teru hissed. "What are you doing?!" Even Kin's face had a look of panic on it.

She ignored them, staring at Sakura still. "Is it? Are you meeting that guy?"

Sakura stared at the three, realization showing on her face. She pulled her arm away. "Did Sasuke put you up to this?" Her face flushed with anger. "I can't believe this. Oh my G— I can't _believe_ this." She turned to march away, leaving the three genin behind.

Teru had a pained look on his face. "Look what you did! Sasuke-Sensei is never gonna forgive us!"

"Sakura-sensei! Wait! Please!" Manami called, running in front of her to block the way.

"Manami, please move. I don't want to get mad at you," she said, sighing with exasperation.

"No. _Please_ just listen to me for a second."

Sakura looked at the girl's pleading face before conceding. "Fine. Okay."

"Alright," she said, relief showing on her face. Taking a deep breath and squinting her eyes shut, she exploded.

"I THINK SASUKE-SENSEI IS IN LOVE WITH YOU AND HE DOESN'T REALIZE IT HIMSELF OR HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO SAY IT TO YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE EVEN IF HE DOES KNOW BUT NOW THAT YOU'RE MEETING WITH THOS OTHER GUY IT'S MAKING HIM ALL JEALOUS AND ANGRY INSIDE WHICH IS WHY HE FEELS THE NEED TO WATCH YOU AND/OR SEND US TO WATCH YOU AND I WAS HOPING YOU WOULDN'T BE AS ANGRY IF YOU KNEW HOW HE FELT AND NOW THAT YOU DO WHAT DO YOU THINK."

Her face was red and she was panting by the time she was finished.

Sakura blinked. "Wait, what?"

Suddenly Teru was there beside her, and he nodded his head vigorously. "It's true! He is! Sasuke-sensei definitely likes you!" Tayaki peeked his furry head out behind him and yippee, wagging his tail in agreement.

Manami gave her teammate a grin, making his cheeks redden.

Kin flashed in beside Manami as well, also nodding in agreement. "I don't know if he knows it himself, but he definitely has feelings for you."

Her face went blank and she stared back at them stonily. "Did Sasuke tell you guys this?"

Teru scratched his head. "Well, no, but—"

Sakura laughed, but her expression looked pained. "Y-you guys don't know what you're talking about. He doesn't. He can't." Tears welled up in her eyes and she looked to the ground, her pink hair shielding her face. "I'm s-sorry, but I have to go now." They stepped aside, allowing her to pass through.

"Well," Teru said simply, looking at his two teammates. "We may or may not have just wrecked sensei's love life."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review!**

**Manga is wrapping up soon— Really can't wait for this movie! Face reveals are lookin awesome!**

**Check out the poll, if ya wanna.**


	14. Date - Dominate

**Chapter 14: _Date - Dominate_**

* * *

"That the best you can do, bastard?" Naruto yelled, deftly dashing between his two opponents, kicking them out from under their feet and smashing them to the ground with his elbow.

Sasuke smirked in response, flinging four kunai out from his sides, effectively pinning two enemy-nin to the bases of tree trunks.

It had taken about four days for the enemy to appear. That is, four painful days of disgusting food pills, hardly any sleep, and more delirious talk from Naruto, but the idea of fighting had jerked them awake almost instantly. Although, the way things were going, it couldn't be called much of a fight.

Kiba and Akamaru crashed down from the trees, Akamaru snarling and snapping at any person in sight. Kiba crouched on all fours and leapt to attack the men Sasuke had immobilized.

Almost three quarters of the group had been taken down, and the four or five that still remained backed away hastily.

"R-RETREAT!" one yelled shakily, desperately attempting to get away.

Naruto chuckled and crossed his fingers together. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Two identical copies of the blonde proofed out of thin air, instantly sprinting forward and knocking out the few escapees. Only one remained.

Letting out a deep, maniacal laugh, Naruto walked forward evilly, extending his right hand while staring down the last man standing.

The man whimpered, stumbling backwards with panic in his eyes. Finally, he turned around and attempted to break into a run.

"RASENGAN!" Naruto yelled, a blue orb forming in his hand. Racing forward, he thrust the ball into the enemy's stomach, blasting him into a nearby tree. He landed with a sickening thud, a swirl of shredded skin and fabric at his stomach.

"YES!" Naruto cackled, kneeling to the ground. "HA HA HA, _YES!" _

His two teammates stared at him with pursed lips.

"Was that really necessary?" Sasuke sighed. "Rasengan. Really."

"What?" Naruto said defensively, his eyes innocent. "I've been sitting around doing nothing for _four_ days."

Kiba shook his head.

"Yeah, we really need to get back to the village."

* * *

"Hey, guys, I'm gonna go take a piss in those shrubs over there," Kiba called, making his way over to the vegetation-crowded area. "One sec."

"'Kay," Naruto called back, giving him a thumbs up in reply. His short episode of evil was apparently over, and he seemed to have calmed down. "So," he said, picking up his kunai. "Guess you can finally go back and check on a certain pink-haired lady you've been worrying so much about."

Sasuke rolled his eyes with annoyance. "When did I ever say—"

"Sasuke, Sasuke, _Sasuke," _the blue-eyed man drawled, clapping his friend on the shoulder. As your best friend, I know these things." He pointed to his blonde head and winked. "Call it, 'buddy-intuition... Or budtuition. Whatever works.'"

The Uchiha sighed and said nothing in return. It was pointless really. He knew the truth, Naruto knew the truth. There was nothing to be said. But he was still working out in his head how the hell it had happened.

"Okay," Naruto started, taking the Uchiha's silence as agreement. He clapped his hands together as he made his way over. "Now that step one, acceptance, is completed, all we need to work out his your _execution_."

Sasuke frowned. "What?"

"That is," the blonde grinned. "How're you gonna tell her?"

* * *

It had been a week since Sasuke had left her with the job of substituting for his team, and Sakura was driving herself slightly insane.

She had gone about her daily life, still substituting as Team Four's sensei, despite the embarrassing incident. She tried her best to stay cheery and helpful, but even she could feel that it was coming off rather stiff.

The three kids were sorry too, she could tell, and their quiet demeanors made her feel guilty. They gave her her space, walking around her in almost humorous caution. Of course, they never brought up the subject again, but she could see them thinking it, wanting to push it forwards, but knowing better than to start.

However, none of that was as bad as when she'd talk to Tamotsu, whom she had met up with a couple times after the incident. Every time she so much as looked at his happy, blue-eyed face, the faces of the genin would pop into her thoughts.

_"I don't know if he knows it himself, but he definitely has feelings for you."_

Seeing something was clearly wrong, he would always ask her if she was okay, a look of concern on his face, and every time Sakura's gut would clench in guilt. Here she was, obsessing over something that couldn't possibly be true, while Tamotsu was sitting right in front of her, trying to start a conversation.

_"It's true! He is! Sasuke-sensei definitely likes you!"_

_No. _She'd vehemently think back, as though arguing against her memories would do anything.

But, despite it being difficult to see Tamotsu, she never stopped making plans, because refusing to meet him again would be like accepting that she still had feelings for _him_. Which wasn't true. It couldn't be. She was five years sober and she wasn't about to start back up again.

So, of course, she was on her way to have dinner, and this time, it would be different.

"Sakura!" she heard him call, and she turned her head to see him waving her over to a table. "Over here!"

She smiled. He looked nice, changing out of his usual casual-wear into a more formal gray shirt with black pants. She walked over, her black heels clacking against the ground.

He ran his hand through his golden-colored hair as he watched her, and when they were close enough, he exhaled in surprise. "Wow," he breathed, "You look great."

Her cheeks colored. "Thanks," she laughed. She had dressed up a little—or _Ino_ had, she should say. The blonde practically shoved her into the simple pale green shift dress she was wearing. Though she supposed she was grateful now.

"Here," he said, pulling out her chair for her with a smile. It was times like those that made her think about how different he really was from Sasuke, but she shook herself, sitting down and smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress while she looked around.

They were outside, the darkness lit up by some thirty paper lanterns strung together with string. A man sat in the corner lightly playing music. It was plain to see that it was quite fancy, by the village standards.

"This place is amazing," she grinned, looking at him. "So, any progress on the memory-loss?" He had sat down opposite of her at their table-for-two, and his icy blue eyes stared at her.

"Did I tell you you look beautiful tonight?" he said, folding his hands in front of his face as he leaned forward earnestly.

"Y-yes, I think you did," she chuckled nervously, her face blushing an even deeper shade of pink than before. To her surprise, instead of feeling guilty, all she felt was warmth inside of her. Forgetting about her question, she beamed at him. "You look pretty handsome tonight, yourself."

He laughed and tugged at his shirt. "This? Someone from the village lent it to me."

"Well it looks nice nonetheless."

"Many thanks," he replied, taking a sip of water.

And so, for the rest of the night, they went on like that. Talking, eating, and laughing.

And the only face in her thoughts was his.

And it was great.

* * *

It was late in the evening as they walked down the village streets, Sakura's stomach happily full with the delicious meal she had eaten.

"That place had the most delicious food I've ever tasted," she groaned, rubbing her stomach contentedly.

"I second that," he replied. "Well worth the cost."

Sakura frowned. "You should have let me pay for some of it. I brought cash."

He looked down at her and laughed. "Doesn't matter. Like I said, it was worth it."

With that, he reached down and took her hand, holding it in his as they walked. Sakura's ears glowed pink, seemingly disappearing in her bubblegum-colored strands.

It was too quickly, in Sakura's opinion, that they arrived at her apartment. Miyo-san, Sakura's elderly next door neighbor, waved at the two, giving Sakura a sly eyebrow wiggle as they walked by.

Tamotsu started to the stairs. "I'll walk you up," he said with a smile, taking her along.

Reaching the top of the flight, the pinkette released his hand, albeit reluctantly, as she walked to her door. Taking out her key, she turned to look at him.

"I had a lot of fun tonight," she said, a light smile playing on her lips.

"Me too," he replied, taking a step closer to her. "It was a really nice restaurant, yes?"

Sakura's heart pounded as he came closer to her, and her breath hitched as he leaned in.

"Y-yeah, the, um, lanterns were very, uh, pretty and—"

"Sakura," he interrupted, silencing her.

Her mind was jumbled. Earlier she thought she would have wanted this, but now... Now she wasn't so sure, For some reason, it seemed... _wrong_.

But, for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to push him away. She swallowed and proceeded to close her eyes. She felt his breath brush her face, and then, he kissed her.

It was dizzying, and her head felt odd, as though it was attached to a balloon, slowly rising up. She placed her hands on his shoulders to steady herself, and he reached his hands up, running his hands through her hair and holding her face.

He broke away first, keeping his face close to hers.

"Sakura," he murmured, tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear. "Do you trust me?"

His words shocked her out of her current unsteady state, immediately reminding her of her fight with Sasuke. Confusion filled her mind.

"W-what?"

"Do you trust me," he repeated, staring at her with a strange look in his eyes.

She blinked. "Y-yeah," she stammered, "Of course I do."

At this, his lips twisted up into a cruel smile, and his eyes darkened. He gripped her arm tightly, tight enough to hurt, and let out a low chuckle.

"Good."

With a painfully nostalgic strike to the back of the neck, Sakura slammed into unconsciousness, her whole world suddenly soaked in darkness.

* * *

**A/N: DUN DUN DUN. Hope you liked this one! Honestly, I had some trouble writing that whole date part. And would Sakura even own a dress and heels? Do people wear that in Konoha? Who knows. In this fic they do. **

**Anyway, please review. Constructive criticism welcome!**


	15. Harmed - Home

**Chapter 15: _Harmed - Home_**

* * *

"Yo, bastard," Naruto called out, leaping through the trees with ease. They had been traveling through the forests for quite a while now, and it was only a matter of time before they reached Konoha. Up until now, they had been traveling in relative silence.

"Hn," he replied, barely listening.

"I'm thinking of asking Hinata to marry me."

This got his attention. He stopped, landing swiftly on a tree limb. Kiba, however, was not so graceful.

"ACK!" The dog-man cried, stumbling on a branch and falling through, smashing into the ground with a large thud. He let out a groan accompanied by a few choice cuss words. "What the hell did you just say, man?" Akamaru whined from above, turning in worried circles for his master.

The blonde shrugged, a slight blush forming on his cheeks. "Ya know... Marriage. Whaddaya think?" He scratched the back of his head embarrassedly.

The Uchiha blinked.

His blush increased as he rambled on. "Well, originally I was planning on waiting until after I became Hokage, what with all this training and studying stuff, but then I started thinking... I mean, I could die any day now, what with all these missions." He glanced at the two men. "Well not this one, but you know what I mean."

Kiba hopped back up to where Sasuke was standing and nodded shortly, rubbing his sore neck.

"Anyway, I don't wanna have any regrets, so..." He looked up cautiously at the two, who continued to stare at him blankly. A panicked look formed in his eyes. Kiba coughed.

"Holy shit, give me your thoughts!"

Finally, Kiba smiled, smacking him hard on the back. "That's great man! We all knew it was coming eventually."

Naruto grinned, scratching the back of his head embarrassedly. "Thanks."

"So," the fanged-boy said, draping in arm around his shoulder, "when are you thinking of plopping the question?"

"Uh, I haven't really set a date or anything yet."

"What!? Well are you thinking within the week? The month? How soon are we talkin'..."

The two chattered on, walking along the thick branch. Sasuke stood, rooted in the same area, a blank expression on his face.

"Eh? Bastard?" Naruto asked, looking behind his shoulder at his friend. Frowning at his lack of response, he moved closer, waving his hand in front of the Uchiha's pale face.

"Yo, earth to Sasuke! Sa-Su-Ke!"

The Uchiha stared blankly at distant branch, his gaze unwavering.

_No regrets, huh._

"SASUKE!" the blonde shouted in his ear, finally causing him to jolt slightly. Seeing he was back with the living again, Naruto frowned. "Dude, what was with you?"

The black-haired man shook his head. He gestured to the two of them. "Come on, we should get going."

Kiba scoffed. "Yeah, says the guy that just zoned out for the past ten minutes."

Sasuke ignored this as he pushed off the branch, using his chakra to extend his leaps.

_No regrets_.

* * *

It was late in the evening by the time they had entered the village gates, and Naruto has insisted on a round of ramen before heading to the Hokage residence. He sighed contentedly, stretching his arms behind his head.

"KONOHA! OH, KONOHA, HOW I'VE MISSED YOU SO!" he exclaimed, throwing his head up to the tangerine sky.

The old man chuckled as he watched him. "You never change, huh, Naruto."

"Nope!" the blue-eyed man chuckled, flashing him a toothy grin. "You can count on it!"

Kiba twisted his floppy-haired head grotesquely, cracking his neck. "Hey, we gotta go report this mission in. I'm beat, let's get this over with." Akamaru whined, turning in an impatient circle next to the seat. He too had been given a bowl of ramen, with ingredients suitable for a dog, of course.

Sasuke nodded shortly and started to get out of his seat, placing the appropriate amount of money on the table. But as soon as he was standing and ready to go, he was quickly stopped by the sight of three familiarly small figures—four, if you counted the dog—sprinting towards him at high speed.

Kiba groaned. "Oh, _come on!"_

Naruto laughed, clapping his friend on the back. "Wow, they must have really missed you, huh, bastard. Guess you do have some skills with the kiddies."

"SASUKE-SENSEI!" they shouted. It was then that he saw the panic etched on each of their faces.

"No..." he muttered. "That's not it." He frowned, a rock forming in his stomach.

_Something's wrong._

Teru reached him first. He hunched over, hair matted with sweat, panting too heavily to speak. "S-s... Sas... Sensei..." he breathed, wincing with exhaustion. Manami, red-faced and ready to drop, followed closely behind but was similarly at a loss for words.

"What is it?" He asked. It came out harsher than he had anticipated, but unease clenched at his insides.

It was Kin, bringing up the rear, who was finally able to speak. His emerald green eyes widened as he opened his mouth to speak, dread apparent in his face.

"Sensei... Sakura's _gone_."

* * *

Sakura awoke in a damp, cold cellar, dimly lit and smelling of mold. The first thing she noticed was the chains; shackling her wrists and feet to the stone wall behind her, she was forced to sit on her knees, head hanging low in front of her, arms above and behind her. The metal chafed her skin, leaving the skin red and raw. The second thing she noticed was the drowsy feeling— she was drugged, too weak to lift an arm. Or was she? She began filtering her blood, like Tsunade had taught her to, but she didn't feel it having any affect. Her thoughts felt slowed down, like her brain was covered in glue. The third thing she noticed was the headache, pounding into her skull like waves from the sea. It laughably reminded her of the hangover she had experienced not too long ago— though there was no Sasuke waiting for her to wake up here.

_Sasuke_.

Why hadn't she _listened?_

How many times had told her, warned her? She had been too stubborn, too stuck in her ways trying to prove she didn't need him anymore, that she didn't _want_ him anymore. But trying to prove it to whom? Him?

To herself.

Silent tears rolled down the sides of her cheeks, dripping down from her chin onto the stone floor. For a while, it was the only sound that filled the empty room, before a door creaked open from up above and scratching footsteps made their way down the stairs.

"Awake now, are we?" the once-familiar voice drawled. His tone mocked her, and he walked closer to her.

She stayed silent, her head down. His shoes appeared in her peripheral vision.

He chuckled maliciously. "Oh, Sakura-_san. _Not speaking to me anymore? We were getting to be on such great _terms_." At this, he yanked up on the chains that trapped her wrists, causing her to gasp at the sudden pain.

"Did that hurt? So sorry."

She looked up at him. His face was twisted into a psychotic grin, his once oxymoronic icy-warm eyes chilling to the core. "Tamotsu, why are you doing this?" she rasped. Her words came out slowly, her mind still slowed by whatever he had drugged her with.

"Why?" he yanked on the chain again. She winced, but refused to cry out. "Isn't it sad that you don't know _why_."

"Maybe if you told me, it would help." She looked up defiantly at him, daring him to pull again. He dropped the metal, his game seemingly having lost its fun.

He strolled around the room, arms clasped behind his back. "I _could_ just tell you," he said, turning away from her, "but where would the fun be in that?"

"Just tell me!" she repeated. She tried not to sound as though she was pleading, but a desperate tone crept into her voice anyway. "Where am I? What are you doing? Who are you?"

He scoffed. "In case it wasn't obvious, darling, you're in a cellar and I'm torturing you." He turned back to face her, holding a large belt in his hands.

"Maybe with this you might _begin_ to understand what she felt."

_She? _Sakura thought with panicked confusion.

He reared back his arm and snapped it forward, the rough leather harshly slicing at her skin. He hit her shoulder first, then her cheek. Blood matted her pink locks, and seeped through her clothing. Her skin throbbed where it was struck.

He continued his lashings, laughing maniacally throughout. He stopped occasionally to kick her, and she could already her skin swelling and forming bruises.

Her eyesight began to dim and blur, and her body numbed. As she slipped slowly into unconsciousness, she murmured wearily under her breath,

"Sasuke."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading!**

**I had some fun writing this (if that sounds slightly sadistic then so be it), even if I did feel a little disgustingly cheesy at times. :)**

**Tell me what you thought, and thanks for the input thus far! ㈶0✌️**

**Also, LAST TWO MANGA CHAPTERS COMING OUT NEXT WEEK. TT_TT**


	16. Absent - Angry

**Chapter 16: _Absent - Angry_**

* * *

Sasuke stared at his student, unable to grasp what he had just heard. He stumbled backwards, head spinning.

_What?_

It felt as though there were an anvil on his chest making it impossible to breathe. The rest of the group stood in confused and shocked silence._  
_

Naruto spoke up first. "What the hell do you mean 'Sakura's gone?' Where'd she go?"

The still-breathless Manami stepped forward, unnerved by the heavy atmosphere. She glanced at her sensei nervously. "W-we don't know, but we found an anonymous note hinting about her and her kidnapper's location. We gave it to the Hokage, but—"

"She was _kidnapped_!?" Kiba exclaimed, running his hands through his hair. "Oh my god."

"But, the thing is, sensei," the violet eyed girl said, turning to look at him directly, "they couldn't find _him_ either."

* * *

Sasuke took off, tearing down the street. Panic and adrenaline raced through his veins, and his heart drummed loudly and unhealthily fast in his ears. He could still just barely hear Naruto shouting at him, asking where he was going or what he was doing. It was only a matter of time before the blonde began running after him, but he was faster. Quicker.

And he had no idea where he was going.

His first instinct had been to head straight for the village gates and hunt down the bastard in any way possible, but then it occurred to him that he had no idea of their whereabouts, or the guy's purpose, or anything. He did, however, know who did.

"Tsunade-sama," he gasped, bursting through the door. He crouched over, hands on his knees, struggling to catch his breath. "S-Sakura," he panted, stumbling forward. "Where... Where's the note?"

Tsunade blinked. "Sasuke? Ah, I see you're back from your mission."

Rage flared inside of him. She was going to talk about this _now_? Why the hell was she so calm? "Later," he bit out sharply. "Where's the note?"

She rested her hands on her desk calmly and stared at him with a cool gaze. He almost would have believed her facade had he not noticed the tiniest glimpse of panic in her eyes, paired with her slightly astray pigtails. "I've already assembled a strong team of ANBU to scope it out. We can't jump to conclusions—"

"_Where_ is the fucking _note_," he growled, gritting his teeth in an attempt to contain his anger. Utterly failing to do so, he slammed a fist against the nearest wall, causing a few books to clatter to the ground. Dust filled the room.

An ANBU coughed uncomfortably in the corner.

"Sasuke, I can not—"

"Your own god-damn _student_ has been kidnapped and you're just gonna sit on your ass and sent out a couple people to 'scope things out?' I can't _believe_—"

She stood up, matching his intense gaze. "You think I don't want to go out there myself?" she shouted. "You think I'm not scared senseless for my student?" She marched up to him, amber eyes flaring as she pressed a finger to his chest. "Part of this position is staying calm and thinking rationally, which _you_ are _clearly_ not doing."

She stepped back and stared at him cooly.

"You'd _endanger_ this mission."

His face darkened. Turning abruptly around, he walked stiffly out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Before he had walked five steps, he looked up only to see a shock of annoyingly perky blonde hair.

"Bastard! What the hell are you thinking? What'd Granny say?"

He brushed past him, slamming his shoulder harshly against the cheeky man. "Why don't you ask the Hokage that," he muttered under his breath, continuing to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Naruto called, jogging after him, though even he already knew the answer. "Dude, do you know what'll happen if you leave the village again without permission?" He grabbed the Uchiha's shoulder in an attempt to pull him to a stop.

The dark-haired man twisted around, onyx eyes flaring crimson as he glared furiously at his friend. "If you're not going to help," he seethed, breathing heavily, "go home."

Ripping his shoulder away, he tore down the steps. He had expected Naruto to follow him, as he had so many times before, but he heard nothing. The absence of the sound of footsteps behind him only fueled him with more anger. Once outside, he sprinted towards the village gates, receiving strange looks from various villagers, all of which were ignored.

Approaching the boundary of the village, he hid himself and counted how many stood guard. It appeared Tsunade had quickly called for reinforcements knowing he would try to leave, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He advanced forward and was quickly spotted, but it didn't matter whether they saw him or not at this point.

A brown-haired ANBU stepped up. "Uchiha Sasuke. We have been ordered to not allow you to leave the village under any circumstances."

Sasuke scoffed but said nothing.

"If you attack, we will have no choice but to apprehend you."

"Right," he smirked, the grin twisting up slightly psychotically. He had anger to burn. He took one step forward, and instantly all the guards braced themselves, taking defensive positions.

In a flash, he was behind one of the men, rearing his arm back for a quick blow to the back.

"HOLD IT!" came a minorly familiar voice. A jounin with a white bandage stretching across his face and unruly dark brown hair walked forwards, hands in the air.

"Kotetsu," replied one of the guards. "What's the meaning of this?"

"Let him go. Hokage's orders."

The group looked around in confusion. Sure enough, one of them put a hand to his ear, receiving the same message by radio. He looked up after hearing the full of it. "He's telling the truth. Let him go."

They backed away, leaving an inwardly baffled Sasuke.

_A sudden change of heart? Not likely._

"Yo! Idiot-bastard!"

Once again, he turned to see the image of Naruto running towards him. Only this time, Team Four followed closely behind. Sasuke looked on skeptically. When he was close enough, he called out to him. "What's going on?"

Naruto skidded to a halt in front of him and looked up, smile widening. His cerulean eyes beamed as he looked at his friend. "What's going on?" He repeated. "_What's going on? _I'll tell you what's going on!" Reaching down deep in his pocket, he flung his hand out at the Uchiha's face, a crumbled piece of paper in between his fingers. "A little TALK-NO JUSTU IS WHAT'S GOING ON!"

Sasuke couldn't contain his smirk. "You didn't."

"Oh I did," the blonde said, clapping his hand against Sasuke's shoulder. "Granny always did have a weak spot for me."

He shook his head. He couldn't believe it.

Naruto rubbed his hands together eagerly. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Yeah!" Manami chirped, "Let's go!"

Sasuke glared at the blonde, searing holes into his face. The whiskered-man frowned, scratching his head sheepishly. "Oh yeah, I forgot about them. They said they wanted to come. Wouldn't take no for an answer."

"C'mon!" Teru groaned, stomping his foot. "We care about Sakura-sensei too! We're ready! You haven't even see how much we've improved!"

Kin nodded, his green eyes looking confident and prepared. "Sensei," he said calmly, "we can help. Trust us."

He didn't know why he did it, as it went against everyone he felt was right at the moment, but he did it anyway.

He nodded.

"Let's go."

* * *

**A/N: Sasuke, Naruto, and Team Four on their way to kick your ass, Tamotsu.**

**Hope you liked this one! Sorry it was a little short :/**

**NARUTO COULD END AT ANY MOMENT NOW.**

**OH MY GOD.**

**OH MY GOD.**

**BY THE TIME I ACTUALLY POST THIS IT REALLY WILL BE OVER.**

* * *

**OH MY GOD IT'S OVER. I READ IT AND IT'S OVER. MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE SERIES.**

**BUT, MY FELLOW SASUSAKU-ers... **

**WE. HAVE. WON. HUZZAH!**

**PRAISE SALADIN! (Or is it Saradin? I have no idea, I've heard both ways. Probably pronounced Saradin in Japanese though, right? Saladin sounds kinda like... Salad.)**


	17. Backstory - Bestir

**Chapter 17: _Backstory - Bestir_**

* * *

Regaining consciousness had never felt more like a curse.

Her body ached all over, the tattered remains of her clothing plastered to her body with sweat and dried blood. She didn't want to open her eyes. She didn't want what she had hoped had just been a nightmare due to some bad ramen to become reality. She wondered whether she should even start healing herself. Would it urge him to torture her more? But, without fixing her injuries, she wouldn't stand a chance in the first place. Eyes still shut, she remained completely still as she concentrated on her chakra core. As soon as she began to feel the familiar warmth flooding across her body, it faltered, receding back until she couldn't feel it anymore.

Before she had a chance to try again, the chains encasing her wrists were abruptly yanked up, causing a searing pain to erupt in her shoulder as she felt it come out of place. She hissed as her eyes flew open, staring directly into her captor's face.

Blood speckled his cheeks, intermingling with his freckles. Her blood, for sure. He clicked his tongue as he looked at her, still holding her up in a horribly uncomfortable position.

"Ah, you're awake. Good. This is going to be boring if you sleep the whole time." He dropped her harshly to the stone ground, and she resisted the urge to nurse her shoulder. Turning his back on her, he slowly walked a few steps away. She took this time to look around at her surroundings.

It surprised her. What she had thought was just a small cellar actually appeared to be an enormous, circular expanse of stone floor and dirt walls. Strange, sloping crevices rose along the dark clay in a spiral, acting almost as stairs. They rose to meet three tunnel-like entrances at the top tier, which seemed to be the only way in.

Or the only way out.

"I suppose you're wondering why you can't use your chakra to heal yourself," Tamotsu started, startling her out of her thoughts. He still faced the opposite direction.

Her eyes widened slightly.

"Well," he said, sauntering over to her. He dropped his hands onto his knees and bent over, smiling cheekily as he shoved his face in front of hers. "I'm _not_ gonna tell you."

She blinked.

"Honestly, what good could come from me telling you my _diabolical secrets_?" He waved his fingers in her eyes as he said this, speaking and looking at her as though she was his baby sister. He stood back up, shaking his head with mock disappointment. "I mean come on, how many bad guys have been taken down after basically _giving_ their enemy their own weakness?"

"I'll let you use your own creativity for now." He stooped down again to ruffle her pink, matted hair. He leaned closer, his eyes dimming as he whispered maliciously into her ear.

"Besides, you'll be dead soon anyway."

Once again, he sprang back up onto the balls of his feet. Raising a finger in the air, his face brightened with a grin. "Oh— But the backstory! Backstory's always good. Don't worry, I'll tell you about that one."

His cheerfulness was sickening, and his close proximity filled her with nausea. Still, she stared determinedly into his chilling eyes.

"W-where... am... I..." she asked, her speech still frustratingly slow. Though her thoughts had become quicker than before, speaking was still mysteriously difficult.

It was his turn to blink.

He exploded. "Did you even hear _anything_ I just said?" He put his hand to his face and looked at her as though she were an idiot. "What part of 'not telling you my secrets' did you not understand? Plus it's not like telling you our location will help you in any way. Honestly. Think a little, why don't you."

Anger built up inside of her but she was to physically weak to do anything about it. She stared at the ground and clenched her fists.

"Sheesh, no wonder it was so easy to kidnap you. You're so damn slow." With one last condescending look, he moved on. "Anyway, where was I... Ah, yes, the backstory." He sighed. "I love the backstory."

Looking back up at his profile, she was shocked that despite his fake-cheerful tone, his face looked gaunt and strained beyond belief. A haunted look overcame his features. Seeing she was staring at him, he swung himself around and began speaking to the open air behind him.

"Once upon a time, or about four years ago, in a forest far faraway, but really not _that_ far away. Probably close enough to make it there in a three to four day trip, maybe more maybe less. I'd say its probably on the cusp of being a 'not-that-close' forest, but that doesn't quite roll of the tongue like 'faraway' does, huh." He cleared his throat. "Anyway,"

"In this _not-that-close_ forest lived a small, little village of no more than thirty people. However, these thirty people were in danger. You see, a few of these thirty people had a strange ability— a special type of chakra, I should say— and this chakra was quite the hot topic around the area. Legend has it, absorbing the entirety of one of these person's chakra granted one an enormous amount of power. Naturally, this was a worrisome prospect, so the villagers called upon the help of the _lovely_ ninja of Konoha for some extra protection."

Sakura stomach clenched as her eyes widened. This was beginning to sound familiar to her.

"Unfortunately, during the time of the ninja's arrival, the village was suddenly invaded by some ruthless enemy nin. They ravaged the entire area. The homes, the buildings, they burned them all, injuring half the already-small population in the process. Luckily, it was at this time that the help from Konoha finally appeared and were able to suppress the enemy attackers. It just so happens they had also brought a top-notch healer, so the injured could immediately be medicated. If I do recall, this healer had a rather _peculiar_ hair color... Turquoise, perhaps?"

She paled under his direct gaze. She remembered this mission. She strained to remember the name of the clan.

"Maybe. Anyhow, amongst the injured was a certain young girl. Only about eight years old. Dark blonde hair, blue eyes, freckles. She didn't have the special chakra of the village, but she was a cute little thing. Or she _had_ been a cute little thing. Her stomach had been slit open, blood pouring out onto the grass beneath her. Her legs were broken at a sickening angle, and tears incessantly slid out from the couriers of her eyes. The healer with the peculiarly-colored hair stopped to help this suffering young girl. But, just as she was about to begin healing, a tall dark-haired man approached her and took her away."

He looked eyes tinged with a fevered anger. He spoke again, his voice cracking. "Did you hear me? He _took her away. _He took her away and she followed _without hesitation."_

"But, do you know his reasoning for taking a healer away from a dying little girl? I heard him. He said, '_Don't waste your energy._'"

"Don't waste your energy? Don't waste your _energy_?Apparently, saving an innocent civilian wasn't _worth the energy_. What _was_ worth the energy, you ask?" He stared at her for a few moments, as though he was actually expecting an answer. "Those with the _strange chakra_."

He nodded his head. "That's right. Even _Konoha_, one of the greatest ninja villages, chose power over what was right. The worst part of it all? The chakra deemed to grant _insurmountable power_? Fake. Entirely a legend. But, whenever the people tried to communicate this to the surrounding villages, they took it as them greedily keeping the power to themselves."

"On that day, a girl _unnecessarily_ died. She lived for another hour after the healer and the man left, laboriously breathing and crying throughout. I suppose it's only right that the people who could've saved her die in the same way."

_Tsutamo, _Sakura suddenly remembered_. The clan's name was Tsutamo. _She gasped inwardly with realization. Tsutamo.

_Tsutamo_.

Tamotsu.

"You know what?" he said, walking around until he stood directly behind her. His arm reached around, sliding around her body until it rested on her abdomen. "I think I remember the color of that healer's hair."

Sakura looked down, the glint of metal reflecting into her eyes as she stared, horrified, at the blade of a knife held at her stomach. He pressed even closer to her, his lips grotesquely brushing her ear. "Yeah, I remember."

"_Pink_."

* * *

**A/N:** Week 1 without Naruto manga. Going strong.

Actually I'm sick right now.

Also, my bad for last chapter's A/N. I don't know why I thought her name was Saradin/Saladin. It's Salada/Sarada. Sorry 'bout that brain fart.

Also, also, in terms of this chapter's title, "bestir" means "to make a physical or mental effort; to rouse oneself; to get on with it," as in 'Sasuke get the hell on with it and help Sakura.' I don't know. Sometimes I get questions about that. The more you know. Doo doo doo. Unless you already knew that. In which case, YOU'RE A GENIUS!

Also, Also, Also, THANKS FOR 100 FOLLOWERS ^~^

Anyway, tell me what you think! ~Drop me a review!~


	18. Chained - Chilled

**Chapter 18: _Chained - Chilled_**

* * *

Sasuke stared at the small note in his hand, about ready to explode with frustration. He read aloud:

_"If you want her to be saved_

_There's a price to be paid_

_Our location, you ask?_

_Well, I can't give you all the facts_

_But we are nearby underground_

_In a hard place to be found_

_But if you have any scents_

_All you ladies and gents_

_Might just find our icy route_

_Before time runs out."_

"What the fuck is this supposed to tell us? _Underground_?" Crumpling up the thin piece of paper, he angrily threw it on the ground, dragging his hands down his face. "Thanks, let me just rip up the entire fucking earth."

Naruto stooped down to pick up the crumpled material, smoothing it out with his pant leg. "But hey, I mean, you've gotta give him credit. I couldn't have written this."

"Not much of an accomplishment." Sasuke grumbled.

He squinted at the curvy lettering, ignoring the previous comment. "Huh, look, I think he spelled 'sense' wrong."

The Uchiha made a face. "How'd he spell it?"

"S-C-E-N-T-S"

At this, Teru perked up. Getting up from his spot on the ground, he walked over to the blue-eyed man, Hiyake trotting along shortly behind him. "Hey, lemme see that for a bit."

Manami's eyes twinkled. "You have an idea, Teru?

"Maybe. Just wait a second." Gripping the note in his hands, he brought it up to his face and began sniffing it.

"Dude," Naruto said, inching away from him. "You've got some weird—"

Sasuke reached his hand out to interrupt the blonde.

"What?" Naruto asked, his voice tinged with annoyance. Looking at the Uchiha's face, he followed his friend's wide-eyed stare. "Wait a minute, isn't he..."

"Yup."

They spoke in unison, identical smirks on their faces.

"Inuzuka."

* * *

Hiyake led the group as he leapt through the trees. Yipping loudly, he suddenly stopped jumped down to land on the ground. He eagerly turned in a circle as he sniffed, tail wagging a mile a minute. His tan paws scratched excitedly at the grass.

"_Ruff!_"

"It must be here!" Teru exclaimed, following shortly behind. The others smoothly landed behind him.

"But where's the entrance?" Sasuke said, surveying the area. "He said it was underground, didn't he?" It appeared to be just a regular expanse of trees, shrubs, and grass. He walked over to a tree and examined its bark, moving his hands over the rough surface.

Manami shivered as she gripped her black shirt closer to herself. "Is anyone else _cold_?"

"'Icy route...'" Kin muttered under his breath.

"Huh?"

He looked up, his emerald eyes thinking thoughtfully. "Didn't the poem say something about being icy?" He began walking around, hands outstretched with a face full of concentration. "If that's the case, then the entrance is probably where it feels the coldest, right?"

Teru scoffed. "You look like an idiot."

"If it works then what does it matter?" the boy replied calmly. He removed his white jacket and continued feeling the air. Manami followed suit.

"Everybody spread out," Sasuke announced, rolling up his sleeves as well. Amidst his panicked state, he smirked inwardly. _I guess they're more useful than I thought._

After a few minutes of rushed searching, Naruto called out. "Hey! I think it get be over here." Following him, they all soon realized what he was right. Cold air wafted off the center of a large area of brush, causing their skin to prickle intensely. He hurriedly began searching through the foliage until his hands reached the center, where they met the cool, hard surface of a suspicious looking stone. "Found it!"

Sasuke pulled out a kunai and sliced away the branches Naruto held with his hand. Together, they pushed the cover out of the way, revealing an ominously dark slope downwards. The dark-haired man looked back at his students. "You guys stay here for now."

They immediately began to protest in unison. "What!? But—"

"But nothing. What was the point in coming here is we all get caught immediately? You guys wait back here as backup. Naruto and I will check it out first."

Knowing all too well he wasn't going to budge on the subject, they submitted, albeit unhappily.

"Fine," Manami grumped, crossing her arms in a huff. "Good luck."

He nodded at the three before cautiously stepping into the hole. He gripped the edge of the opening. _Why couldn't this have been a staircase? _He thought grumpily as he began his slow slide downwards.

"Hurry it up, bastard. Sakura's waiting."

* * *

Reaching the end of their slow, treacherous, and slightly embarrassing dirt slide, they stood alone in a narrow and dimly lit hallway, their only light source coming from a pathetic torch secured to a clay wall.

"Which way do we go?" Naruto asked, a serious expression on his face. "We can't split up."

Sasuke shook his head in agreement. "No, we can't. I guess we'll just have choose a direction and go with it."

Just as they began to head to the left, a horrifying shriek blasted through the air, piercing their ears. It came not from the left, not from the right, but from the _middle_.

"That's Sakura!" Naruto shouted, anger in his eyes. "Come on, let's go!" He started to take off down the hallway.

Sasuke's body went stone cold, his face blank. Standing in place, he silently reared his arm back, concentrating the electricity that crackled through his body into his right hand. He forced it against the wall, clay and dirt flying through the air as his hand incinerated its surroundings. Chilled air rushed towards him.

Naruto came jogging back. "That works too," he said under his breath with a smirk. Together, they waved away the smoke until they stared directly into the center of an enormous expanse. Tamotsu looked up at them, holding the shackles of a pale, limp woman, her pink hair thoroughly bloodied. Red liquid pooled underneath her.

_Sakura_.

"Oh, you're here!" he called up to them cheerfully. "I was beginning to get bored. Had to cut her up quite a bit, you see." He pointed to her leg, a huge gash jetting straight down from her knee to her ankle. Blood flowed from it in worrisome amounts. He gave them another freezing grin. "So I take it you got my note? Took me a bit of time. Didja like the bit of wordplay I put in there?"

Sakura lifted her head weakly, her viridian eyes cracking open just enough to see her two teammates. "...D-don't... Don't come," she wheezed painfully.

Tamotsu yanked the chains, causing her to cry out. He laughed. "Shut up, bitch."

Sasuke gritted his teeth, his face darkening. Black eyes spiraling into crimson, he tore down the almost vertical side of encampment, unsheathing his katana in the process.

"Sasuke— wait!" Naruto shouted. How the tables had turned.

The Uchiha refused to listen. He sprinted towards the honey-haired man at a frighteningly fast speed, training his eyes on him as he readied his weapon. However, when he looked at him, he wasn't sporting the usual panicked look his victims seemed to have. No, instead, he was _smiling_. Smiling as though they were long lost friends seeing each other for the first time in years. As he was processing this, he felt his speed abruptly slow down, the air feeling as though it was turning into water. His limbs felt as though his blood had hardened, and he felt his Sharingan deactivate. He was just about twenty feet away from them.

_What the hell? _he thought. He slowly twisted around to warn Naruto not to come, but it was too late. The blonde had already followed suit and stood in the same condition.

After a few moments, he felt completely frozen in place. The oddest part, however, was the more frozen he got, the less he actually felt the cold.

Tamotsu let out a low chuckle, dropping Sakura to the ground. Tears rolled to the ground as she weakly watched her teammates. How frustratingly awful it was to watch and be able to do nothing. She felt useless again, as she had so many times before.

"Ah, Sasuke. I've been waiting to see you," he sighed creepily, placing a hand on his shoulder. He gestured to Naruto. "Wasn't expecting the blonde one, but oh well, I guess. The more the merrier!"

He picked up an already bloodied knife and held it to his neck.

"Now, let's see if you _remember_."

* * *

**A/N: Alright, I guess next week we'll find out Tamotsu's power or something of that nature. Not gonna lie, that stupid poem took an embarrassingly long time for me, and it still sucked. But hey, at least I tried.**

**Let me know if you liked this chapter, and thanks a bunch! **

**Drop me a review! ✌️^~^**


	19. Freed - Frozen

**Chapter 19: _Freed - Frozen_**

* * *

The blade's cool metal stung the Uchiha's skin as he felt a warm droplet of blood dribble down his neck. He attempted to speak, but, like his body, the words felt some how frozen in place.

"Now, let's see if you _remember_."

He pressed the knife in further, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards into a sadistic smile. He stepped closer. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply, taking his time to savor the moment. "What comes to mind when you hear the name... _Tsutamo," _he breathed, his lips grazing Sasuke's ear.

Almost instantly Sasuke recalled the clan. Having already known information on them due to Orochimaru's brief interest in their special chakra of some sort, he and a few others had been assigned to protect their small village. However, they had somehow misjudged the enemy's timing, arriving after they had already infiltrated the clan's boundaries. Though there were some casualties, they eventually got things under control.

_So what is this guy talking about?_

"That look in your eyes tells me you remember something," he chuckled, his face still uncomfortably close to his own. "If _I_ remember correctly, you were assigned to _protect_ these people known as the 'Tsutamo,' am I right?"

He traced the knife slowly across the his throat. Scarlet blood streamed down his neck, starkly contrasting with the pale white of his skin. Sakura whimpered from her spot on the ground.

"Who knew 'protecting' including leaving a bloody little girl to _die_?" With the last word, the freckled-man slashed the knife downwards, leaving a shallow gash jutting across his collarbone. He moved his arm to strike again.

_Whoosh.  
_

The kunai clattered to the ground. Yelling out in pain, Tamotsu bent over and clutched his hand to his chest. In this brief moment, Sasuke felt a short warmth course through his body, as though it was loosening itself, but it left just as quickly as it had come.

Tamotsu whipped his head up, revealing the glint of a silver arrow now protruding from the back of his hand. A malicious rage flared in his gaze as he looked around the expanse.

"HEY IDIOT!" a familiar voice yelled down from the top of the room. "OVER HERE!"

Still unable to move, Sasuke was just barely able to see the source of the voice out of the corner of his eye. But it's not like he needed to. He'd recognize that girly, bratty tone anywhere.

_What the hell are they doing? _Sasuke thought to himself, torn between panic and frustration. He heard Sakura gasp.

The honey-haired man glared up at the two kids, stretching his face into a strained smile. Without looking, he ripped the arrow from his hand. Blood dripped onto the stone floor where his arm hung. "Little shits," he muttered.

"What are you going to do about it?" Kin added, waving his arms. "Come try and stop us!"

At this, the panic took over the frustration in Sasuke's brain. He desperately willed his body to move, to no avail. He glanced back at Tamotsu who, shockingly, appeared strained by the young boy's taunt. It was then that Sasuke realized how peculiar it was that Kin would even taunt in the first place. Normally that would be Teru's doing. Sasuke glanced back up at his teammates, noticing something blatantly obvious: Tēru was missing.

Realization hit him like a bullet.

_They know something. They have a plan._

The freckled man took a faltering step forwards before stopping.

"Come on," a high-pitched and silvery voice yelled. "You just gonna let us shoot at you?" The Uchiha listened to the twang of Manami's bow as Tamotsu leapt away, a glimmering arrow striking the area of his previous position.

Kin leapt down to ground level. He walked around but, Sasuke noticed, kept to the edge of the circular expanse.

Tamotsu stilled. He stared at the young ninja, the tiniest glint of panic in his eyes. After a few moments of silence, the worry completely vanished from his face, his evil grin returning in its place. He walked backwards towards Sasuke and Naruto and gripped their arm sleeves, demeaningly dragging them towards Kin, who stood unwavering. He continued his walking and pulling until reaching what he apparently deemed to be an appropriate distance.

He crossed arms and stood smugly, gazing at the green-eyed boy as though he had already won. Sasuke glanced back up at the top tier, noticing that Manami, too, was now gone.

"Well?" Tamotsu said, raising a brow at Kin. "If I take just a few more steps, you're done for."

Kin said nothing, simply gazing back. An icy-blue eye twitched with annoyance at his lack of reaction. He shook himself. "We can make this as slow and painful as possible, _or_ we can make it quick. Which would you prefer?"

The brunette blinked. And it was almost as if that one, singular blink had completely changed his personality.

"Oh, _please_ no! GOD HAVE MERCY— spare me! I'll do _ANYTHING. _Just please_, please _don't come any closer!"

It was Sasuke's turn to blink. Even by his standards that was terrible acting.

_Note to self: if we get out of here, hold off on any incognito missions for a while._

To his absolute shock, Tamotsu was eating it up. His smugness increased ten-fold.

"Well, if you insist, I'll let you live a little longer. We'll take this _nice and slow,_" he chuckled maliciously.

Sasuke's subconscious jaw dropped. _Are you fucking kidding me._

Tamotsu took one step closer, a distance that barely impacted the space between them at all. He stopped to soak in the horribly-fake pleading Kin was shrieking. It went on like this for what seemed like forever, step by step, until the boy appeared to be undergoing the same effects Sasuke and Naruto were going through. He appeared more sluggish and slow in his actions, and his begging became muffled.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

_It's distance related._

How had he not realized it? How Kin had stayed to the outer edges of the room, how he and Naruto's bodies only slowed down when they ran to intercept him. It seemed to obvious. However, even knowing this information, he could do nothing but uselessly watch his pupil struggled in danger.

Tamotsu was now only a mere two feet away from the boy, and Kin's body was completely stilled. Only his eyes moved, twitching around frantically with fear. The freckled man smirked. Swinging his leg back, he stepped forward to deliver a painful blow to Kin's ribs. The boy silently flew backwards, hitting the clay wall with a sickening thud. He dropped harshly to the floor, staring back dazedly on his back.

Sasuke struggled again to free himself from the invisible force that grabbed him. A strangely familiar sensation formed to the right of him.

_Naruto's Kyuubi chakra, _he sensed. A slight of it leaked out from the blonde's body. _It might just be enough to over power whatever's freezing us in place._

"Looks like time's up," Tamotsu sneered, kicking the green-eyed boy's side. The sound of his ribs breaking was disgustingly audible, and blood dribbled down the side of his mouth. He retrieved his knife out of his pocket and twirled it around his fires, the light glinting off the metal's sharp surface.

_Hurry_.

However, strangely enough, Kin's face no longer sported a look of fear. No, instead there was still a small glint in the boy's eyes, and he stared back with a gaze that looked almost as like he was _laughing_. His focus glanced behind the man.

Tamotsu, noticing this, was equally surprised, and he faltered for just a moment, the knife paused mid-swing. Kin's gaze grinned.

"SHANNAAARROOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The ground shook violently, a strong ripple of movement obliterating the ground they were standing on. The stone cracked and rose up in jagged heaps of rubble. All four of them flew into the air, landing painfully on the destroyed ground. Almost immediately, Sasuke felt the same warmth as before, his muscles loosening.

_He must've lost control of the jutsu._

He strained his body, attempting once again to move. As soon as his leg moved forward an inch, a coursing heat flooded through his blood, and power emanated from his body. He heard Naruto yell out, apparently feeling the same sensations.

He took another step, gradually feeling closer to his usual self. Pure energy filled him, and it almost felt as though his skin was about to burn off because of it.

"SASUKE!" Naruto yelled, turning towards him. Go help Sakura-chan— I got this guy!"

With an exchange of short nods, the dark-haired man whipped himself around, Naruto jetting off in the opposite direction towards one of the masses of rubble.

"Sakura!" Sasuke called, sprinting towards her. She was facing the other direction, but he could tell from her posture she was smugly admiring her work. He noticed her clothes were still bloody and torn, but the wounds he had seen on her previously had completely vanished. She turned around slowly, revealing the diamond-shaped healing seal on her forehead.

"Sasuke!" she called back, smiling happily.

Without a word, he took her hand, flashing them farther away to a distance he deemed far enough to surpass the boundaries of Tamotsu's jutsu.

"We're safe here for now," he said shortly, letting her go.

She looked impressed. "You figured it out?"

"Somewhat," he looked her up and down, the teeny-tiniest tint of worry in his dark eyes. "Anyway, are you okay? When did you get out of your chains? _How'd_ you get out of your chains?"

She jutted a thumb behind her, gesturing to the now-running Manami, Teru, and Hiyake. Manami and Teru supported Kin in between them.

"While Kin distracted and led Tamotsu away from me, Teru and Hiyake snuck around behind and freed me. Afterwards, Manami helped heal some of my injuries, but by then I was already feeling the same energy rush you're currently having, so I was able to heal myself." She suddenly hunched over, having a coughing fit. She looked up with an embarrassed expression. "Still not a hundred percent though."

The corner of his mouth snuck it's way upwards.

"Sit down," he ordered.

"What?" she protested. "But I—"

"You said you weren't at a hundred percent yet, didn't you?" He stared at her intensely. "Sit down and heal yourself."

She submitted, wearing a pouting expression that made her look like a five year-old. She flopped down to the ground. "Fine," she huffed.

"Hey, you guys!" Teru called. They had finally caught up to them. "Are you okay?"

"We're fine, we're fine," Sakura replied, waving him off. Her viridian eyes frowned in concern. "More importantly, Kin, are you okay?" She grinned. "You were really brave, going out there like that."

"I'm fine," he replied with a smile. "I can stand. The only thing is a few bruises and a broken rib or too, I think." He put a hand to him stomach and winced.

"Alright, that'll be an easy fix." She patted the ground in front of her. "Sit down."

"Actually, Sakura-sensei," Manaim spoke up, her cheeks pink and her voice an even higher pitch than usual. "If it's no trouble, and if you think I'm capable, would I be able to heal his injuries?" Kin's eyes widened at the violet-eyed girl.

Sakura smiled warmly, her eyes laughing. "Sure," she said, smirking at the blushing girl."I know you can do it." She watched as the usually-brash girl walked off shyly with the boy, sitting him down as she began.

Teru shifted uncomfortably, watching the two with a sad smile.

Sasuke felt a tinge of sympathy for the boy, and he clapped a hand on his shoulder. "You did good," he said, nodding approvingly.

The auburn-haired boy looked up with a surprised expression. "Really?"

"Really really."

His smile grew wider, changing from sadness to genuine happiness. His chest puffed out. "I did, didn't I? Yeah! I basically saved the day!"

Sasuke let out a low chuckle and nodded. "Hn."

"You sure did," Sakura agreed, her voice light.

Teru paused in his bragging for a minute to look up at his sensei. "Wait a minute— shouldn't we be helping Naruto?"

The Uchiha shook his head. "Naruto's got it under control. The guy's useless without the power of his jutsu anyway.

Sure enough, Naruto already had the honey-haired man's face smashed into the ground, his leg on the guy's back to hold him down. Sasuke noticed the Kyuubi chakra he had sensed before was now completely gone. They listened to him yell.

"I said SHUT UP! Stop moving already, jeez!"

The three laughed.

"It's too bad though," he said, flexing his hands. "With all this energy, I actually wouldn't mind fighting."

Sakura scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Can't you ever just stay in place for _one minute?_"

* * *

**A/N: Alright... So I guess I lied. I didn't completely say how Tomatsu did everything and what not in this chapter. Next one fo sho— seriously this time.**

**Also, sorry for not updating last week! I normally update every Friday/Saturday, but I couldn't find time to write due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Made this one longer than usual to make up for it.**

**Anyway, thanks for all the support! As always, you guys rock.**

**Drop me a review! ^~^✌️**


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